A Better Place To Be
by Detective Me
Summary: Pinkie Pie brings a human in need of cheering up into Equestria. Will he be able to cope? One thing's for sure, there will be shenanigans. Set after the end of season 3.
1. Chapter 1: Grand Entrance

"Have we got everything Spike?"

"Pretty sure we do."

"Why don't you check the list again to see if we missed anything?"

Spike sighed. "We don't need to check the list every five seconds Twilight."

Twilight glared at the baby dragon perched on her back. "Just check the list."

Spike rolled his eyes and pulled a thick scroll from Twilight's saddlebag, allowing the extensive list to unravel along the ground. "You know there may be such a thing as too organised Twilight," he grumbled as he read through it. "Got that. And that. And that and that and that. Yes. Yes. Yes. Double yes. Hey, what's Pinkie Pie doing?"

Twilight sighed at Spike's short attention span before looking around for Pinkie. It took her a few seconds to spot her quarry. The normally boisterous party pony was standing stock still in the middle of the town square, not making a sound, with a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Well that's weird," Twilight mused as she approached Pinkie.

"Hey Pinkie. Are you-"

"Hold on a second Twilight," Pinkie said, raising a hoof in front of Twilight's face. "I feel a combo coming on."

At once Twilight was alert and tense. She'd had bad experiences with Pinkie Sense in the past and she wasn't keen to repeat them.

"Here it comes," Pinkie said slowly. Then her knees started shaking. "Twitchy knees," Pinkie listed. Her stomach growled fiercely. "Rumbly Tummy." She rubbed her hooves into the dirt. "Itchy hooves. That means…" Pinkie thought. Then she gasped, a look of horror on her face.

"Pinkie? What is it?" Twilight asked urgently.

"Oh Twilight! It's so horrible!" Pinkie cried. It looked like she was about to start sobbing

"What is it?"

"The worst combo ever!" Pinkie wailed as she grabbed Twilight by her shoulders.

"What does it mean? Are we going to be attacked? Is Princess Celestia in danger?"

"Worse!" Pinkie cried. She burst into tears and bawled, "It means that there's somepony out there who's crying!"

There was silence as Pinkie cried into Twilight's shoulder.

"Seriously? That's it?" Twilight asked, while Spike patted Pinkie's head in a bemused fashion.

"Oh Twilight you don't understand!" she wailed, pulling her head away from Twilight's shoulder. Her lower lip trembled as she talked. "If somepony's crying that means they're really sad. And that makes me really sad!" She howled, great streams of tears flowing onto the ground.

"Well, why don't you go and cheer them up?" Twilight suggested, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

As quick as they'd come the tears stopped and Pinkie's face brightened.

"Hey! That's a great idea," she said, pulling Twilight into a rib-crushing hug.

"Glad I could help," Twilight wheezed.

Pinkie released Twilight and gasped. "Maybe I could throw them a super cheery cheering up party! That'll be sure to put a smile on their dial."

With that the party pony turned and trotted away, humming merrily to herself.

"Good luck with that Pinkie," Twilight called after her.

"She's so random," Spike commented.

Twilight had to agree.

* * *

Pinkie trotted along the path, a mare on a mission, humming a jaunty tune and trusting her Pinkie Sense to take her the right way. It wasn't until she reached the outskirts of the Everfree Forest with the sun low on the horizon that she had second thoughts.

"Who would need cheering up in there?" she asked herself. "Maybe it's Zecora?" For some reason she doubted it. But there was a pony in there somewhere who needed a smile. Pinkie had a reputation as a super party pony to uphold, and she wasn't gonna let some creepy forest stop her from making somepony happy.

And with that triumphant thought, she trotted into the Everfree, resolute in her task.

* * *

A whole reality away, there was, in fact, someone crying. On the banks of a shallow pond, beneath the boughs of an old willow tree, sat a boy, only just turned eighteen. His dirty blonde hair was swept to the side, framing his face. His eyes were a silvery blue and, at the moment, very wet. Tear tracks painted his cheeks, but he made not a sound. He wore a plain white t-shirt, worn dark jeans and a pair of battered sneakers. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the branches. The boy shivered. The sun had set a while ago and he hadn't brought a jumper with him. It was really cold tonight.

"Hi there!" a high pitched voice shouted. The boy let out an undignified shriek and tumbled away from the pond. He got to his feet, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Hello?" he asked the surrounding trees.

"Hi," the voice replied. The boy frowned. It sounded like the voice was coming from the pond. Cautiously, he edged closer and looked down. And his jaw hit the ground.

Where his reflection should have been was instead the image of a brightly coloured, cartoon pony. There was no other way to describe it. Its coat was an alarming bubble-gum pink and its wildly frizzy mane was a few shades darker. Its eyes were astonishingly large, coloured light blue. But the strangest thing was the enormous, giddy smile that stretched its face in an impossible way.

The boy knelt by the pool, staring at the pony in disbelief. All he managed to say was "What?"

Suddenly the pony noticed the tear tracks on his face. The smile vanished, replaced by a look of concern.

"Hey. Are you alright?" she asked. It was obviously a female. The voice was too high pitched to be a guy.

The boy hurriedly wiped his cheeks and muttered, "I'm fine." He fixed the pony with an intense stare. "Are you real?" he asked.

The pony scratched her chin with a hoof as she thought. "I think I am," she said slowly. "But maybe I'm not!" She looked quite alarmed at the thought and started feeling her face with her hooves.

"You're not sure whether or not you're real?" the boy questioned. Then he shook his head. "I'm trying to reason with a hallucination. I am definitely going mad."

"Hey I'm not a hallucination," the pony said, "I'm a pony. And you never answered my question. Are you alright?"

The boy gave a weak chuckle. "I'm anything but," he said.

The pony looked heartbroken. "What's wrong?"

"Family problems is the easiest way to put it," the boy explained. "I guess you could say I'm running away."

The pony looked like she was about to cry. He could actually see her eyes watering. "Oh you poor thing! Is there any way I can help?"

The boy shook his head. "I doubt it."

The pony's eyes widened and the smile reappeared. "Oh, I just had a great idea! How about you come back to Sugarcube Corner with me? I've never met a pony yet who can stay frowny while eating a cupcake!"

The boy opened his mouth to reply but was overridden by the pony, who was gabbing on like a maniac. "Oh and I could introduce you to my friends and show you around Ponyville and throw you a ginormous super fun party! I'm getting so excited just thinking about it! Come on!"

Without any warning whatsoever, the pony reached out and _through_ the pool, grabbing the boy by the shoulders. He only had enough time to wonder how she grabbed him with hooves, before he was yanked forward and tumbled through the pool.

It felt like turning a lightning fast somersault while being shoved down a tight tube. There was a rush of wind and the boy found himself lying on his back, feeling dizzy and sore. He stared up at the treetops and noticed they seemed different. More… cartoony. The pony's face popped into his view.

"You ok?" she asked, not dropping her smile.

"Fine. Just fine," the boy groaned, running a hand through his hair. He lifted his hand in front of his face. For some reason he had half expected it to be a hoof. What a strange thought. Although when he looked at it carefully it did seem… less real in a way. All the small details had disappeared, leaving it looking like someone had drawn it. Weird.

Slowly he sat up, groaning slightly. He put his face in his hands and let them slide down, trying to get rid of the dizziness. In an offhand way he noticed that the light covering of stubble that had been on his chin was gone. Again, weird.

He got to his feet, ignoring the dizziness, and examined his surroundings. There were trees all around him, bent and twisted in odd ways, many thickly covered in moss. The air was less cold here, the perfect night-time temperature. He turned in a slow circle, coming to a stop facing the pink pony, who was still grinning like an idiot. She was a bit smaller than him, only coming up to mid-chest.

"Where am I?" he asked weakly.

"We're in the Everfree Forest," she explained. The boy nodded, even though the name didn't make any sense to him.

"Can I get back?"

The pony thought. "I'm pretty sure you could. I could reach through after all," she reasoned.

The boy, not satisfied, crouched by the pool and stuck his hand in. Instead of his hand being submerged in cold water, it was like it passed through the surface. He could see it on the other side.

"So, are you gonna come with me to Sugarcube Corner?" the pony asked.

The boy thought for a moment before standing. "We'll, since I'm here I may as well," he said. The pony cheered, jumping about excitedly. "Do you know the way out of here?"

"Piece of cake!" she beamed. "Follow me!" she began bouncing away, before stopping and looking over her shoulder. "By the way, my name's Pinkie Pie."

The boy was silent for a second. "Call me Chris," he said.

* * *

**Oh my god I actually wrote a fan fiction. I honestly cannot believe I managed to do it.**

**Anyway, please R&amp;R and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Apples and Speed Demons

Chris was exhausted. He had been following Pinkie Pie through this stupid forest for hours. His legs ached, each breathe was painful and every now and then sweat would drip into his eyes. They had been walking for so long the sun had well and truly risen, sunlight streaming through the treetops. He wished he had his phone with him to check the time. He looked forward at Pinkie Pie and felt another pang of jealousy. While he was struggling the pink pony was still bouncing along, humming happily to herself. Where did she get all that energy?

"Do you know how much further it is?" he asked.

"We're almost there," Pinkie chirped confidently.

Chris was getting annoyed. "How do you know? Everything looks the same around here. We could be going in circles for all we know."

Pinkie laughed. "Don't be silly, I know exactly where we are. Look." She waved her hoof at the trees around them.

Chris looked and immediately noticed a difference. The trees in the Everfree Forest had been growing close together, with bent trunks and coverings of moss. The air had been heavy with the smell of rotting wood and damp earth. By stark contrast the trees that surrounded them now were widely spaced in neat, ordered rows. Their trunks were straight and tall and each of them bore a large load of shiny apples. The air was different too. It light and fresh and smelled of… toffee apples and cinnamon? What?

"We're in Sweet Apple Acres, right outside Ponyville. I told you I knew the way back." Pinkie said with a grin. "Hey! Look over there!" she pointed down the row of trees to something in the distance. Something orange was standing next to one of the trees. Chris shaded his eyes and squinted. It looked like another pony, but he couldn't be sure at this distance.

"It's Applejack! Ooh I get to introduce you to one of my friends already! Yay!" Pinkie squealed before holding up an oversized megaphone. Wait a second where did she pull that from?!

"APPLEJAAAACK!" Pinkie screamed into the megaphone. The trees around them bent almost double and Chris was nearly blown off his feet by the force of her shout. Off in the distance the orange pony leapt into the air in fright. Pinkie Pie started waving madly to it. The other pony quickly noticed and waved back, before trotting towards them.

"Who's Applejack?" Chris asked.

"She's one of my friends. She pretty much runs Sweet Apple Acres, so she's really hard working. Plus she's like, the best baker ever."

Chris turned his attention back to the approaching pony. As she drew closer he began to make out the details of her features. The first thing he noticed was the Stetson on her head. It looked old but in excellent condition. Her eyes were bright green and she wore an easy smile. Her mane and tail were light blonde and tied back with red bands. Strangely she appeared to have a pair of tattoos, a trio of red apples, on either side of her flank. For the first time Chris also noticed the same kind of marks on Pinkie's flanks, this time a trio of balloons, two blue and one yellow. How had he not noticed that before?

Chris back at Applejack just as she noticed him. Her smile faded slightly, but she didn't reduce her speed. Chris could see the caution in her eyes.

"Hey there Pinkie," she called in a southern accent. "Who's yer friend here?"

"This is Chris," Pinkie explained. "He was sad so I'm taking him to Sugarcube Corner to cheer him up. You wanna come?"

"Sure thing," Applejack said brightly, the caution in her eyes disappearing. "Ah've finished all mah chores and ah could do with a snack."

At the mention of food Chris's stomach let out a mighty growl. Walking for hours without a bite to eat had left him with a ravenous appetite. Applejack laughed kindly.

"Here," she said, walking over to a nearby tree. She gave the tree a light buck and an apple fell out of it, just like that. She tossed the apple to Chris and said, "That'll tide yeh over till we get ta Sugarcube Corner."

"Thanks," Chris said quietly. He bit into the apple and his eyes widen. This was the best apple ever! Applejack looked him up and down as he took another bite. _He does seem kinda gloomy_, she thought. _A trip through Ponyville might do him good_.

"Well come on slowpokes!" Pinkie cried as she bounced away. Chris raised an eyebrow after her and glanced at Applejack.

"Is she always like this?" he asked through a mouthful of apple.

"Pretty much," Applejack replied, trotting after Pinkie.

The corners of Chris's mouth lifted slightly and he walked after the two ponies.

"So, if yah don' mind me askin', what kinda critter are yeh? And where'd yeh come from?" Applejack asked.

Chris was silent for a moment. "Well starting with the easy question, I'm a human. As to where I came from…" he hesitated, "I don't think I'm even from this world."

"How'd yeh figure that?" Applejack questioned.

Chris shrugged and took another bite of his apple. "It's only a guess. I really have no idea what happened. Apart from that I was pulled through a pond."

"You were what now?"

"Pinkie Pie reached through a pond, grabbed me and pulled me through."

There was a brief silence. "Well ok then," said Applejack.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Really? You just accept the fact that she pulled me through a pond?"

Applejack chuckled. "Yeh learn not to question Pinkie Pie too much." That Chris could understand.

A comfortable silence descended on the group. Chris threw away his apple core and scratched the back of his head, a question bubbling away inside him. He had to ask or it would drive him crazy. "Um, Applejack?"

"Yep?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what's with those pictures on your flank?"

"You mean my cutie mark?" Applejack asked, giving him a strange look. "Don' you have one?" Chris shook his head. "Huh. Well a cutie mark appears when a pony finds their special talent."

"Special talent?"

"The thing that they're really meant to do in life. Ah got mine when ah realised ah belonged here on Sweet Apple Acres."

"And I got mine when I found out how much I like making ponies happy," Pinkie chirped.

"Hey, if you don' have a cutie mark then how do yeh know what yer special talent is?" Applejack asked.

Chris thought. "By trying out different things and seeing what you enjoy doing I suppose. Luck probably plays a part as well."

"Sounds difficult," Applejack said sympathetically.

Chris smiled bitterly. "No one said life was easy."

Soon enough the merry band left the apple orchard, passing the Apple family's house and barn before setting out along the main road. The sky above them was a beautiful, perfect blue with only a few thin clouds floating around lazily.

"Look out!" Applejack cried suddenly.

Chris snapped his head up, just in time to see a rainbow hurtling straight at him.

"Huh?" he said before the rainbow smashed him off his feet with a loud CRASH.

Flashing lights were dancing in front of his eyes. His head and chest spiked with pain. Something heavy was lying on top of him. A large orange smudge appeared in his view. He thought he heard something, but it was muffled, like he was listening through a thick wall. He blinked a couple of times and Applejack's face came into focus, concern written all over it.

"Are yeh all right sugar cube?"

Chris groaned. "I'm alright. What's on top of me?"

Applejack's relief quickly turned to annoyance. "That'd be one of our friends, Rainbow Dash."

Chris raised his head with a groan and found himself staring at a pair of rose coloured eyes. The pony lying on top of him was coloured the same blue as the sky, with a vivid rainbow coloured mane and tail. No points for guessing where she got her name from.

There was quiet for a few seconds as they observed each other.

"You're lying on top of me," Chris commented dryly.

Rainbow Dash started and jumped up, appearing completely unfazed by the crash. "Sorry about that," she said. "I was trying out a new trick and sorta lost control. I hope you're not hurt or anything."

"Only my dignity," Chris groaned as he slowly got to his feet.

Rainbow chuckled a little, rubbing the back of her head. "So, what the hay are you?" she asked bluntly. "And where'd you come from?"

Chris sighed and motioned to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. "Would you two mind explaining?"

As Pinkie and Applejack told Rainbow about him, Chris subtly studied her. The thing that drew his attention was the pair of folded wings at her sides. T_hat explains the falling from the sky part_, Chris thought. Her cutie mark was a white cloud with a red, blue and yellow striped lightning bolt.

"Wait, so you're from a different universe?" Rainbow asked.

"As far as I can tell, yes."

"That's kinda cool I guess," she said, trying to appear nonchalant. "I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria."

Chris raised an eyebrow, sceptical. "Really?" he asked.

Rainbow jumped up, hovering in front of his face. "Yes, really."

Chris smirked. "Prove it," he challenged.

Rainbow grinned back at him. There was a whoosh and she was gone, a long rainbow trail marking her passage. Chris looked up at the sky, watching as she punched through a couple of clouds before looping around and hurtling back towards the ground, followed by a stream of water droplets. She landed with a skid, coming to a halt right in front of them. The water hit her outstretched wings and sprayed around her, a rainbow forming above her head. _A double rainbow one could say_. Chris mental slapped himself for making such a terrible pun.

"How's that for fast?" Rainbow said with a smug smile.

"Well I'm impressed," Chris replied, still grinning. "Now let's get going. At this rate I won't get any cupcakes till next week."

The ponies laughed and led the way, with the human trailing behind them, feeling a little more at ease.


	3. Chapter 3: Yet Another Introduction

Ponyville looked like the perfect idyllic country town. Cosy homes with thatched roofs, flower gardens at every corner, a windmill off to one side and a large town hall smack bang in the middle. From where he stood on the hill overlooking the town Chris could see numerous, multi-coloured ponies going about their daily business. A bell began to sound from somewhere in the town and Chris counted eleven chimes. _Eleven o'clock_, he thought. _No wonder I'm starving._

"Come on Chris," Applejack called from down the road. "What happened to bein' all impatient for lunch?"

As if in response to her words his stomach let out a titanic growl. Rainbow Dash, who was hovering above him, sniggered quietly. Chris rolled his eyes and set off down the path, intent on hunting down the mighty cupcakes he had been promised.

As the group approached the town, Chris felt the stirring of misgivings. "Applejack?" he asked apprehensively.

"What's wrong sugar cube?"

Chris took a moment to formulate his answer. "What if the other ponies react… badly to me?"

"Whaddya mean 'badly'?"

Chris snorted. "I'm not an idiot Applejack. I noticed the look in your eyes when you first saw me. What if the other ponies flip out or something?"

"Don't be silly," Pinkie Pie admonished. "They'll love you!"

"Besides, yer wit' me, Pinkie and Dash. You may get some funny looks but I doubt anypony will freak out."

Applejack noticed Chris looking at her strangely. "What?"

"Any_pony_?" Chris replied. "Really? You really say any_pony_?"

Applejack had no idea what he was getting at. "What's wrong with sayin' anypony?"

Chris shook his head as he grinned broadly. "It's nothing. Forget I said anything."

Applejack wanted to pry, but decided to leave it alone. By now the group had entered Ponyville, with Pinkie bouncing along out in front, Rainbow hovering overhead and Chris and Applejack walking side by side. As Applejack had predicted, Chris was getting stares from all sides. Some of the ponies looked curious, others looked cautious and one pony with a turquoise coat and golden eyes would have to scrape her jaw off the ground. Chris felt his cheeks reddening from all the attention and focused on the buildings around him. From a distance he hadn't noticed just how vibrant the houses looked. Some were pink, some were blue, some were green and every colour looked brighter than it should have.

"There you are Pinkie Pie!" someone called. A pure white pony was trotting towards them, her purple mane and tail elegantly curled. Her eyes were a deep sapphire with long lashes and a light covering of eye shadow. Her cutie mark was a trio of diamonds and Chris noted that she spoke in a sort of refined, posh way. He also noted the short horn sticking out of her forehead. "We've all been so worried. Twilight told us how you ran off the other day and – oh my."

The last words were torn from her as she noticed Chris, coming to a sharp halt. Her eyes scanned him up and down, looking shocked and horrified. _What happened to no one freaking out Applejack?_

"What in Equestria happened to your clothes dear?" the white unicorn cried. _Well that was unexpected_, Chris thought as he looked down at his clothes. The bottoms of his jeans were caked with mud and the knees were covered in dust, one of them ripped. His shirt had some leaves stuck to it and a small tear near the bottom.

"Oh, I was walking through the Everfree Forest," he explained as he brushed away the leaves.

The unicorn's level of horror increased. "Why would you want to have a walk through that dreadful place?"

Chris sighed. "Maybe I should get a sign that explains everything," he said to no one in particular.

"I'm on it!" Pinkie squealed before zipping away, leaving nothing but a dust cloud and a pink blur.

"I wasn't serious," Chris mumbled while Applejack and Rainbow Dash laughed. Even the unicorn gave a ladylike giggle.

"Anyway, I believe introductions are in order," the unicorn said, placing a hoof on her chest. "I am Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique. And you are?"

"My name's Chris. It's a pleasure to meet you Rarity."

Rarity giggled. "Oh the pleasure's all mine. Now I'd best find Twilight and tell her to stop worrying about Pinkie Pie."

"Looks like yeh won' have too," said Applejack. "Here she comes now. And she's got Fluttershy with her."

"My how convenient," Chris muttered as he turned to the two ponies approaching the congregation. The first one was best described as purple. Her coat was purple. Her mane and tail were dark purple with a pink stripe running through them. Her eyes were purple too. A horn on her forehead parted her mane and a pair of wings were folded neatly at her sides. _What does that make her, a pega-corn? A uni-sus? Whatever._ Chris could just make out her cutie mark, which was a pink, six pointed star surrounded by five small, white stars.

The other pony, a pegasus, was following a pace behind, doing her best to hide behind her long pink mane. Her coat was pale yellow and her tail matched her mane. Chris could just make out one blue-green eye peeking out from behind the pink curtain. This pony practically oozed shy adorableness. Three pink butterflies adorned her flank.

"Oh good! I was just about to go looking for you Twilight," Rarity said to the purple one. "Pinkie Pie is quite fine. You just missed her, in fact."

"That's nice," Twilight replied, her eyes locked on Chris. He could see a burning curiosity within the purple orbs that were drilling into his soul.

Chris sighed. "Hi. My name's Chris. You can probably tell, but I'm not from around here."

Twilight smiled. "I figured that. I'm Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia."

"Princess Who-now?"

Twilight's jaw dropped. "You don't know who Princess Celestia is?!" she said loudly.

"Like I said, I'm not from around-"

"HERE YOU GO!"

"GAH!"

Chris wasn't the only one who had been surprised by Pinkie's sudden reappearance. The others had all let out shouts of alarm and Rainbow had nearly fallen out of the sky.

"Pinkie Pie!" Chris gasped. His heart felt like it was trying to smash his ribcage apart. "Don't do that! You scared the hell out of me!"

"I'm sorry but I was just so excited and I finished the sign and…" Chris stopped focusing on Pinkie's rambling, his attention drawn by something else. The other ponies had all recovered, except one. The yellow one, who could only be Fluttershy, was crouching on the ground, trying to look as small as possible, trembling with fright. Chris unexpectedly felt a strange, irresistible urge to comfort her. Slowly, he approached and hunkered down in front of the shaking pony. The one eye he could make see through her mane widened.

"Hi there," Chris said softly. "Are you Fluttershy?" She nodded, looking surprised that he knew her name. "My name's Chris. It's nice to meet you."

Fluttershy didn't say anything for a moment. Then, in a voice so soft and sweet, "It's nice to meet you too."

Chris beamed and could just make out a small nervous smile from Fluttershy. He got to his feet and noticed that everyone had stopped talking. He looked around. The ponies were staring at him like he had a second head.

"What?" he asked.

"That was so cute!" Pinkie squealed, bouncing over and wrapping him in a hug. As she did Chris noticed that the smell of toffee apples and cinnamon intensified. Now that he thought about it, the smell had disappeared when she zipped off.

Just as the hug was getting awkward, Pinkie released him. "Oh, by the way," she said, "I finished your sign. Here you go." She proffered a large sign. Chris glanced at it and immediately burst out laughing. It said, in large, pink letters;

**MY NAME IS KRIS**

**I'M A HOO-MAN**

**AND I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND**

"What's so funny?" Pinkie asked.

"Your spelling is a bit off," Chris explained, still chuckling. "Also the "I want to be your friend' message may be a little over the top. Anyway I really wasn't serious about the sign."

"She doesn't really get sarcasm," Rainbow explained in an undertone.

Pinkie Pie didn't seem offended by Chris's critique in the least. "That's okay," she chirped. "I'll fix it up and save it for later." And with that she promptly shoved the whole sign into her tail.

Chris felt something in his brain break as the laws of physics were trampled right in front of him.

"But – but – but how-"

"Don't ask," Twilight interrupted. "Just don't ask."

Chris pointed at Pinkie. "But she just-"

"It's sort of what Pinkie Pie does," Twilight said. "It's easier if you just accept it. Trust me."

Chris sighed. _This place gets stranger by the minute,_ he thought. Abruptly his stomach growled again, this time accompanied by an intense pain.

"Oh god I'm starving," he muttered. Applejack laughed awkwardly as her stomach joined the chorus.

"Ah could use something to eat as well," she admitted.

"Lunch sounds wonderful," Twilight agreed.

"Then come on everypony!" Pinkie commanded as she bounced onwards. "To Sugarcube Corner!"

"And quickly!" Chris laughed as he and the other ponies followed.

* * *

**Well that one took longer than I'd expected. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Feel free to review.**

**Quick question: Would you guys prefer longer chapters?**


	4. Chapter 4: When Everything is Going Well

Chris was beginning to think that there was nothing else in this new world that could surprise him. Until he saw Sugarcube Corner for the first time. The building was ridiculous! The whole thing looked like a humongous gingerbread house, complete with white icing around the edges. Giant candy canes and other sweets were sticking out of the roof. And the smells! Enticing aromas of icing sugar, cakes, chocolate and a hundred other delicious things wafted out the pink doors. Chris could feel his mouth watering as his stomach became even more verbal.

"Wow," he said.

"It is pretty impressive, isn't it?" Twilight agreed.

"Understatement of the century."

Twilight laughed and followed Pinkie through the door, with Chris and the others right behind her. The inside was even more impressive than the outside. The gingerbread house theme continued in here, with candy cane pillars in the corners and icing along every edge. Baked goods of every kind lined the shelves and the combination of heavenly aromas was almost overwhelming.

"Hey! You alright?"

Chris started. Rainbow Dash was hovering in front of him, looking puzzled. He realised that he had been drifting off a little. He rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little awkwardly.

"Sorry, I guess I was day dreaming. Damn it smells good in here."

"Of course it does," Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Only Applejack is a better baker than the Cakes. Oh, hi Mrs Cake!" she called to the pony who was walking out of the back room, wearing a pink, filly apron. Her coat was blue while her mane and tail were light crimson and shaped like swirls of icing.

"Hello there Pinkie Pie," Mrs Cake said in a kindly manner as she stepped up to the counter. "What are you after today?"

"I'm gonna need a midday platter for seven!" Pinkie declared.

"Coming right up. Go ahead and take a seat," Mrs Cake said, pointing to a large table over by the window. Chris walked over to the table, relieved to be able to sit down after waking for so long. Unfortunately, the chair he pulled out was already occupied by a small, vivid green alligator with bulging purple eyes.

"Why is there an alligator in my chair?" Chris asked.

"Oh, did Gummy get out again?" Pinkie giggled. "Sorry about that. He likes to go exploring whenever I leave my bedroom door open. He never leaves Sugarcube Corner though." Pinkie picked up the alligator and deposited him on her back. Gummy didn't move. It didn't even look like he was breathing. Then he blinked. He was alive at least.

"Do you live here?" Chris asked.

"Yup, just upstairs. I'll just go put Gummy away and I'll be right back." With that she bounced across the room and up the stairs, with her alligator's jaws clamped firmly onto her mane.

Chris raised an eyebrow as he sat down. "She has an alligator as a pet? Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"Oh, not really. You see, Gummy doesn't have any teeth." It took Chris a moment to realise that the soft, quiet voice had come from Fluttershy.

"Then what does he eat?"

Fluttershy looked surprised at the question. "I… I don't actually know," she said. "I've never even seen Gummy eat anything."

"Speaking of food," Chris remarked as another pony approached, balancing a large platter stacked with cakes and seven milkshakes in tall glasses on his back. He wore a white apron over his yellow coat and a little hat over his red mane.

"Here you go," He said as he skilfully slid the platter off his back into the middle of the table, "Enjoy!"

_He didn't stare at me_, Chris thought. _Neither of them did. Maybe it's a busy day. Then again, they live with Pinkie Pie. Weird stuff is probably a daily routine for them._

_Speaking of whom._

"Oh these look delicious!" Pinkie squealed as she rejoined the table. "What's everypony waiting for? Dig in!"

Chris needed no further invitation as he swiped a cupcake off the platter, tore off the wrapper and devoured half of it with one bite. It was like sugary heaven dancing on his tongue!

"Vif if delifif," he managed to force around the cupcake.

"What was that sugar cube?" Applejack asked with a snicker.

With some difficulty Chris swallowed and repeated, "This is delicious."

The others nodded in agreement, their own mouths full of scrumptious baked goods. For a long while the only sounds were that of chewing and the occasional slurp as someone took a drink of their milkshake.

"So, Chris," Twilight said. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

Chris grinned and shook his head. "Nope, sorry, I don't do backstory," he replied to the disappointment of the others. "I'd actually like to know more about all of you."

"Well okay then," Twilight seemed a little put out, but smiling all the same. "What do you want to know?"

Chris thought for a moment, then asked, "What jobs do you ponies do around here?"

"Well I help out with the baking here at Sugarcube Corner," Pinkie Pie answered brightly.

"I'm the manager of the weather patrol here in Ponyville," said Rainbow Dash.

Chris frowned. "What's the weather patrol?"

"You know, moving clouds around, making sure it rains on schedule, that sort of thing."

"Wait, wait. You _make_ the weather here?"

"Um, yeah. Doesn't that happen where you're from?"

Chris shook his head. "The weather makes itself in my world."

The ponies' eyes widen. "Whoa," said Rainbow.

"Just like in the E-Everfree Forest," Fluttershy squeaked, trembling at the thought. _Time to change the subject_, Chris thought.

"So what do you do Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy appeared a little startled that she was being spoken to. "Oh, well I take care of all the animals around Ponyville," she explained, gaining a small amount of confidence. "I help them heal up if they get sick or injured, and I also have a grooming service for the pets around Ponyville."

"And thank goodness she does. I don't think I'd ever be able to give Opal a bath myself," Rarity added while Fluttershy blushed.

"Who's Opal?" Chris asked, reaching for a sugar covered donut.

"Opalescence is my pet cat," Rarity explained. "She can be a bit of a hoof-full sometimes, but she always obeys Fluttershy."

"Well, working with animals is my special talent," Fluttershy said with a modest smile.

_Butterflies, right._ "So how do you make a living Rarity? I remember you mentioned something about a boutique earlier."

Rarity nodded. "Yes, Carousel Boutique. I'm a fashion designer and clothing maker. I personally create some of the most stunning garments you shall ever see," she proclaimed grandly. _This one has a flair for the dramatic I see._ "Maybe I should design some new outfits or you. It would be nice to see you out of those, err… old things."

Chris frowned as he bit into the donut. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Oh nothing at all," she said quickly. "They're just a bit… plain I suppose. And torn. And dirty."

Chris shrugged. She had a point. "How about you Applejack? I'm going to guess that you work on the farm."

"Sure do," Applejack replied, more than a hint of pride in her voice. "I also run our stall down in the market."

Chris smiled at her enthusiasm. "Sounds like hard work."

"Can be at times. But it's the good kinda hard work."

_Honest work_, Chris thought. "Last but not least," he turned to the purple pony beside him. "Twilight Sparkle! What is it that you do that improves the lives of ponies?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm the librarian of the Golden Oak Library, just down the road. And," Twilight looked awkward, a blush rising up her cheeks. "I'm also a princess."

Chris was silent as he absorbed this information and took a sip of his milkshake. The other ponies were staring at him in silence, as though awaiting his response. Finally Chris lowered his milkshake.

"I hope you don't expect me to bow," he said dryly.

The expectant silence vanished as everyone laughed, even Twilight. "Well maybe a little one," she said pompously, sticking her nose in the air.

Chris raised his eyebrows, but got up from his chair and bowed extravagantly with much waving of hands. He sat back down amidst renewed gales of laughter, chuckling himself. Eventually the laughter died down, although Pinkie continued to snort to herself, probably replaying the moment in her head.

"So is there a king or a queen that you're somehow related to?" Chris asked.

Twilight looked thoughtful. "Not that I've heard. As far as I know there are only the princesses, Celestia, Luna, Cadance and me."

"And are you related to them?"

"Well, Cadance is my sister-in-law but other than that, no."

"So how did you become a princess then?"

"Long story short I created a new kind of magic and got transformed into an alicorn."

_Oh that's what she is. I thought pegacorn sounded str – hang on a second._ "Did you just say magic?"

"Um, yes?"

Chris's eyes widened and his smile turned rapturous. "Show me," he said, leaning forward in his chair.

Twilight gave him a strange look as her horn lit up with a purple, sparkling aura. The same aura wrapped around her cup a lifted it into the air. Chris's eyes followed the cup as it rose. "Cool," was all he said.

"I get the feeling you don't have magic where you come from," Twilight deduced.

Chris shook his head, still grinning like an idiot. Then his stomach sank and his smile faded as he caught sight of the clock on the wall. _Almost two o'clock? When did that happen?_

"What's wrong sugar cube?"

"Yes, you seem to have become rather sombre all of a sudden," Rarity added.

Chris sighed and nodded at the clock. "I need to be heading home soon. With the amount of time it took Pinkie and I to walk out of the Everfree Forest I'll have to leave if I want to get home before nightfall." The ponies all groaned and bowed their heads.

"But we didn't even get around to having a party." Pinkie Pie pointed out.

"Well maybe, in a couple of days, I could… stop by again," Chris suggested. "We can have a party then, 'kay?"

Instantly, Pinkie was smiling again. "Great idea! That'll give me lots of time to plan everything and get all the supplies. How about three days from now?"

Chris smiled. "Sounds great."

"I look forward to it," said Rarity.

"Can't wait," Applejack agreed.

"I never miss a Pinkie Pie party," Rainbow cried.

"It sounds wonderful," Fluttershy said quietly.

"Three days it is," Twilight declared.

Chris couldn't stop smiling. All of these ponies were excited about seeing him again. And… he was excited too. It felt like his heart was about to explode with all the joy of just being around them.

"Alright then," Chris said as he stood. "See you all in three days. Pinkie, do you remember the way back to the pond?"

"Yeah it's just, um… I think it was... no… um…"

Chris felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach as Pinkie went from a smile to a confused frown. "Pinkie? You do remember the way, right?"

Pinkie tapped the tips of her hooves together, looking awkward. "Well on the way there I was just following my Pinkie sense. A-and on the way back I was so excited about throwing you a party that I forgot to remember where we were going."

Panic was starting to bubble up inside his chest. His breaths were coming faster and heavier. "But… we – we could find it, right? I mean we could- we-"

"But the forest is huge," Rainbow interjected. "How would you find one tiny pond in the middle of-?"

"Rainbow that's not helping," Twilight hissed as Chris's panic attack got worse. Stumbling slightly, he headed towards the door. "I have to- need to-"

"Wait, Chris-" Pinkie began.

"No leave me alone!" Chris shouted, his eyes pools of terror and desperation. "Just- just stay away from me!" He could see the hurt and sorrow in Pinkie's eyes, but his fear told him to run. And that's what he did as he turned and sprinted out of the bakery.

"W-what did I do?" Pinkie asked hopelessly as tears trickled down her cheeks.

* * *

**The amount of time needed to write this chapter, was too damn long! Personally, I blame university.**

**Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Favourite, follow and review, or I shall set the dreaded singing Pinkie Pie on thee!**

**Also if you happen to notice any spelling/grammar mistakes please let me know.**


	5. Chapter 5: What the Heart Wants

**What's this? A new chapter already? Inconceivable!**

* * *

_The moon is pretty tonight_, Chris thought dully. The stark white disc, peppered with dark splodges, was large and full, showering the Everfree Forest in light. To Chris, sitting on the edge of a towering precipice with his knees pulled up to his chest, the light was cold and distant, offering no comfort. He'd been stumbling around the forest for hours, desperately searching for the pool back to his world. His shirt was covered in rips and tears, his shoes and socks were soaked through and the bottom of his jeans were caked in mud. Both of the knees were ripped now.

Iron bands tightened around his chest as Chris thought of going home. He didn't know what he wanted, or what he should do. He was happier here than he'd ever been. But he couldn't go back, not after he'd yelled at them… at Pinkie Pie. Tears pricked his eyes as the hurt expression on her face floated in front of him. Anger at himself briefly flared up as he wiped the tears away. He should leave, go back home, where he wouldn't be able to hurt them ever again. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. The very thought of going back to his world, back to his family, though he doubted they deserved the term, nearly made his heart break. Burying his face in his hands, Chris hoped desperately for some sort of miracle. He took a deep breathe in an effort to relax, and stopped. He sniffed. He raised his head from his hands.

He could smell toffee apples and cinnamon.

"Have you come to yell at me?" he asked dismally.

"No," Pinkie said. Chris heard soft hoof beats as she walked up to the cliff edge and sat beside him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem angry either. She just looked very calm.

"Then why are you here?"

"I wanted to apologise for everything. I shouldn't have pulled you through the pond and I should have remembered the way back. I guess I just didn't think ahead. And I'm really, really sorry."

Slowly, Chris turned his head to look at her. He could see in her eyes that she was sincere. He sighed quietly, the apology making him feel worse, and looked back up at the moon.

"Do you want to know why I was sitting by that pond?" he asked quietly.

Pinkie frowned. "You told me you were running away."

Chris chuckled weakly. "That was somewhat true. But it was actually less like I ran away, more like I got kicked out, made to run away."

Pinkie's eyes widened but she said nothing. Chris kept talking, finding he didn't want to stop. "I was the middle child of my family. I was less brilliant than my older brother and my younger sister took up all my parents' time. They hardly ever looked sideways at me, except to criticise." With every word Chris felt better, lighter somehow. "I guess they figured I was never going to be as successful as my older brother. They wanted me to be just like him though. Do something practical, like accounting. But that just wasn't the way I wanted to live. I wanted excitement, adventure. I wanted to travel the world, write a book, see everything life had to offer. My parents wouldn't hear of it, of course." A scowl darkened his features and a note of sarcasm oozed into his voice. "I had to follow in my brother's almighty footsteps if I ever wanted to amount to anything. They told me that they'd enrolled me at a university and I was going whether I liked it or not. I refused and they told me to either do what I was told, or get out. So I ran." Chris heaved a sigh. "And that's how I ended up here."

For a long while neither of them spoke. Then Pinkie asked, "If it was so bad, why do you want to go back?"

Chris was only partly aware of choosing his next words, as though his heart had stolen his vocal cords for a brief moment to force its opinion into the world.

"I don't."

That was the truth of it. "I don't want to go back. But the idea that, eventually, I'd have to go back was stuck in my head. I suppose I would have realised eventually that I could stay here. It's not like there's much over there for me. But having it sprung on me like that…" Chris sighed again. "I guess I just panicked."

For a long while they were silent. "Pinkie you came out here to apologise to me. But you" he looked Pinkie straight in the eyes, "have nothing to apologise for. You brought me here. You, and the others, made me feel happier than I've ever felt. And all I did to thank you was yell and hurt you. I'm the one who should apologise to you." He paused, letting his words sink in. "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie."

A smile bloomed on Pinkie Pie's face, and it felt like Chris's heart was going to crack a rib as she said, "Apology accepted."

With tears in his eyes Chris pulled her into a hug that she gladly returned. "Thank you Pinkie Pie," he whispered.

"Aww."

Chris jumped and sprang away from Pinkie like he'd been electrocuted. The others were all sanding just within the tree line behind him, glaring at Fluttershy, who had her hooves over her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, lowering her hooves. "I know we were supposed to be quiet and everything, but that was just so sweet."

Chris rolled his eyes. "How long have you been there?"

"We heard pretty much everything," Twilight answered as she walked over and threw a hoof around Chris's shoulders. Chris sighed, privately glad he wouldn't have to tell that story more than once.

"So where do we go from here?" Chris asked. "I doubt that I'll ever be able to find that pool again, and even if I did I wouldn't go through it."

"You can stay in the spare room of the library for now, until you get a place of your own."

"Thanks Twilight. Oh," Chris grimaced as a new realisation hit him. "I'm going to have to get a job."

"That can prob'ly wait till later sugar cube," Applejack said with a grin.

Chris smiled back before yawn widely. Twilight chuckled. "We should probably be heading back. You've been up for quite a while."

"Any chance of a ride back?" Chris asked as he got up.

"No."

* * *

"Now we have to be quiet," Twilight whispered as she carefully pulled the door to the library open. "Spike's asleep and I don't want to wake him up."

Were Chris less tired he would have been curious as to whom Spike was. He would also have been quite surprised that the library was a tree. As it was he merely accepted these facts and tried to stop his eyelids from sliding shut as he stifled another yawn. The walk out of the Everfree Forest had taken longer than before, due to everyone being thoroughly worn out, and it was now past midnight. Chris followed Twilight through the door and his heavy eyes lit upon a couch pushed against a wall.

"The spare bedroom is just up this way," Twilight whispered as she began to climb the stairs. There was a heavy flump and she looked over her shoulder to see that Chris had collapsed face down on the couch. She giggled quietly and levitated a blanket out of the closet, draping it over him. Covering a yawn of her own she quietly trotted up the stairs to her bedroom. Walking over to her desk she unfurled a fresh scroll of paper and dipped her quill in the inkpot. She could hear her bed calling her name, but there was something she had to do first.

_Dear Princess Celestia_, she wrote.

_I apologise for the late hour, but something amazing has happened here in Ponyville. Earlier today Pinkie Pie came into town with a creature form another world. His name is Chris and he seems really nice. Unfortunately we found out that there was no way for him to get back to his own world, not that he really seems to mind. I was wondering if you would allow him to stay in Ponyville, perhaps permanently. He said himself that he's really happy here._

Twilight paused. She was getting a bit off topic.

_On another note I have discovered another lesson about friendship. Sometimes your friends become angry or confused and may do or say things they don't really mean. It's important to always be understanding of another pony's situation and to always be prepared to listen to them._

_Your faithful student,_

_Twilight Sparkle._

_That ought to do it_, Twilight thought tiredly. She rolled up the scroll and sealed it before hanging it in front of Spike's face and tickling his nose. The baby dragon squirmed, crinkled his nose and sneezed, a small jet of flame shooting from his mouth and engulfing the scroll. Twilight watched as the small wisp of sparkly smoke sped out the window, before gratefully tucking herself into bed.

_What a day_, was the last thing she thought before sleep took her.

* * *

**And so we conclude the first arc of this fan fiction. Hooray! For those who are wondering, I probably won't be rewriting the episodes of the show with Chris in them. I might do a couple if I think Chris's presence will change them enough, but for the most part I'll be sticking to original story lines.**

**A question for you all: what jobs around Ponyville would you like to see Chris try out? Suggest any job you like (within reason).**

**See you all next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Pancakes and Mail Service

**I just wanted to give a massive thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed this story. It really does make me want to keep going with it.**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

Chris could feel the warm sunlight on his face, but he kept his eyes tightly shut. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted to keep dreaming. It had been a wonderful dream, if a bit odd. There had been a bunch of magical, talking ponies, which was a bit weird, but on the whole it had been perfect. For his first ever lucid dream it was definitely a tough act to follow. Still, back to reality.

Chris opened his eyes, blinking as the bright sunlight blinded him. Sitting up on the couch he looked around blearily. He was in a wide, round room, the walls lined with countless books. Across the room a flight of stairs lead upwards to the next floor and right in the middle was a small podium with a bust of a horse's head on top. For a few moments Chris's tired brain struggled to comprehend his surroundings. _It wasn't a dream,_ he realised. A wide smile split his face as he struggled to contain a wild shout of joy, not wanting to break the silence of the library. _Twilight must still be sleeping_, Chris thought. His eyes scanned the walls until they fastened on an old fashioned cuckoo clock. _It's only quarter to seven_, Chris thought as he rubbed his eyes. _Why am I up so early?_ With a yawn he stood up, the thick blanket sliding onto the floor, and stretched, working the kinks out of his neck. _Never sleeping on a couch again,_ he thought ruefully. After folding the blanket nicely and placing it on the couch Chris decided to look around. Wandering around the room, tracing his fingers of the spines of the books, a couple of titles stood out to him. History of Equestria, Basic Magical Theory, Places You Should Avoid But Will Probably End Up Going To Anyway. _I'm going to do a lot of reading_, he realised.

Finished looking at the books for now, Chris walked through a door into what was apparently the kitchen. Cupboards were set high on the wall above a gas stovetop and oven. A recipe book sat on the bench next to the sink and a table was pushed off to one side. Chris raised an eyebrow and picked up the recipe book, flipping through the pages. _Maybe I could make a little thank you present…_

* * *

Consciousness slowly came back to Twilight as she lay tucked up in her bed. The first thing she noticed was that something smelt good. Really good. Sweet, sugary scents wafted tantalisingly past her nose and her stomach growled loudly, making her keenly aware that she hadn't had any dinner last night. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes groggily she peered over the edge of her bed. Spike was still fast asleep in his basket, snoring peacefully. A frown creased her features before she remembered her current house guest. "Does Chris know how to cook?" she asked herself. Nothing seemed to be on fire so she assumed he could. Plodding tiredly down the stairs she crossed the main room into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Chris sang from the stove, where he was holding a spatula and carefully watching two pans that were sizzling quietly.

"Morning," Twilight mumbled.

Chris looked over, grinning widely. "You look wonderful," he teased.

"Oh shut up," Twilight said with a smile. "What are you cooking?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes and fried banana."

"Really?"

"What's with the tone of surprise?"

"I didn't think you could cook," Twilight admitted.

Chris shrugged as he flipped the pancake. "I have hidden depths. Consider it a thank you for letting me stay here."

"Mmm, something smells good Twilight. What are you- uh?"

Chris looked back at the door and locked eyes with a small purple lizard standing on its back legs, staring at him with a bemused expression. A row of rounded green spines went over his head and down his back, looking a bit like a spiky modern hairstyle. A pair of lighter green frills stood in place of ears on either side of his head and his underbelly was covered in very pale green scales.

"Oh right! I haven't introduced you two yet," Twilight said brightly. "Chris, this is Spike my number one assistant. Spike, this is Chris. I told you about him yesterday afternoon."

"Oh yeah," Spike frowned. "You said something about him yelling at Pinkie Pie then running off." He shot Chris a sideways glare.

"I apologised for that," Chris said quickly. He didn't really want Spike angry at him. He could see a pair of sharp looking fangs jutting over his bottom lip. Fortunately this seemed good enough for Spike.

"Okay then. What are you cooking?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes and fried banana."

"Fried banana?" Spike asked. "Why would you want to fry a banana?"

"It caramelises the sugars in the banana. Trust me it's really nice."

There was a sharp rapping on the front door. Twilight looked curiously over her shoulder. "Who could that be this early? You two keep getting to know each other," she said as she walked out of the kitchen, "I'll be back in just a second."

For a long while there was silence in the kitchen. Chris could hear the muffled sounds of Twilight's conversation with their early morning guest. Now that it was just him and Spike had didn't have a clue what to say.

Spike seemed to be having the same problem. "So…" he said slowly. "Are you… enjoying Ponyville?"

"So far," Chris replied. "How long have you known Twilight for?"

"My whole life. She used her magic to hatch me when she was just a filly."

"And what about the others?"

"Oh, not very long. Twilight and I only came to Ponyville a couple of years ago."

Once again they lapsed into silence. Chris scooped the pancake out of the pan and put it on a plate in the oven to keep warm. _That makes three_, he thought as he poured more batter into the pan. _I might be able to get another couple out of what's left_.

"Do you like the others," Spike said nervously.

_Where's he going with this?_ Chris thought as he scooped the bananas from the second pan and plopped one more in. "Um, yeah. They're all really nice."

"Cool," Spike replied. _He looks worried about something_, Chris thought. "I don't really think you're Rarity's type though."

_Wait, what?!_ "Huh? Where the heck did that come from?" Then Chris noticed the way Spike was looking everywhere but his face and the slight blush that coloured his cheeks. Something clicked. "Do you fancy Rarity?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The look of alarm on Spike's face made Chris mentally slap himself. _Subtle_. "Okay yes I do but please you can't tell anypony. Promise?"

"Your secret is safe with me," Chris said with an easy smile. "And don't worry. I have no intention of getting 'involved' with anypony in the foreseeable future." Spike breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Thanks," he said.

"So what does being Twilight's number one assistant entail?"

"I help organise the library and send letters to Princess Celestia," Spike said, looking thankful at the change of topic.

At that moment Twilight came back in, trying to flatten her mane with her hoof. "You could have told me I had bed-head," she grumbled.

"I thought it best not to say anything," Chris said with a smirk.

"You know your hair isn't in much of a better shape."

"Good thing I didn't answer the door then," Chris replied smartly as he flipped the pancake._ Perfectly brown,_ he noted.

"Hey how long is breakfast going to be?" Spike interrupted.

"Spike! You have to be patient," Twilight admonished.

"But I'm hungry!"

"So am I, but it's still rude to ask questions like that."

"Its fine Twilight," Chris said. "It should only be about five more minutes. Ten tops."

Precisely six minutes and twenty three seconds later, according to Spike, all three of them were sitting around the table, digging into the expertly prepared breakfast.

"These are awesome!" Spike praised.

"Mmh." Chris assumed that was Twilight agreeing. Her cheeks were fit to explode with the amount of pancake and banana she had shovelled in.

Chris had to admit, he did a damn good job.

Soon enough every pancake had been devoured and everyone was feeling well and truly stuffed. Chris leaned back and sighed contentedly. _What should I do today?_ he wondered. His musings were interrupted by a small "urp" from across the table. Spike's cheeks were bulging, like he was about to be sick.

"Are you feeling ok-" Chris was suddenly interrupted a loud belch as a small wisp of sparkling smoke shot from his mouth and swirled in mid-air before collapsing in on itself and transforming into a small scroll, tied with a red ribbon and a golden seal.

"Oh good! The Princess replied," Twilight cheered, grabbing the scroll with her magic.

"Replied to what?" Spike asked while Chris gaped at them.

"The letter I sent her last night."

"I don't remember sending her anything last night."

"I made you sneeze."

"I'm sorry," Chris interjected. "But what the hell just happened?"

"That's how the Princess and I send letters to each other," Twilight explained as she unfurled the letter. "Spike can use his fire breath to send objects from one place to another."

"Fire breath?"

"Oh that's right," Twilight realised, "I never told you. Spike's a dragon."

Chris felt his brain screech to an ungainly halt. "A… dragon," he said slowly. _Why is this so hard to process?!_

"Yeah, why? Don't you have dragons where you come from?" Spike asked curiously.

"No. No we don't," Chris said, his brain booting back into gear. "So what was the letter about?" he asked, trying to pull the conversation back into the waters of relevance.

"Oh, I just told her about you. Don't worry," she said as Chris frowned, "I didn't tell her about your parents. I only told her that Pinkie brought you here, that you didn't want to go back and that you were nice."

Chris relaxed. "Thanks. What did she say?"

"Read it for yourself," Twilight said as she passed the scroll to him. It read, in graceful flowing writing;

_To my dearest Twilight._

_I am pleased to hear that you are continuing to learn about the magic of friendship even now-_

"The magic of friendship?" _That sounds a little silly even for this place_.

"Just read, I'll explain later."

_-even now that you are a princess. I am also most curious about this creature from another world. Princess Luna and I would very much like to meet with him and talk. Therefore we shall be visiting Ponyville in two days at noon. Until then, why not try to learn more about him or show him around Ponyville? It would be a good way to spend both your time._

_Yours,_

_Princess Celestia._

_PS If you are reading this Chris, I would like to welcome you to Equestria. As long as you bear my little ponies no ill will, you are more than welcome in this fair country. I'm looking forward to meeting you._

"Well she sounds very positive," Chris commented. "Should be an interesting talk."

"Is Celestia coming round?" Spike asked.

"Yes, in two days," Twilight answered. "I should start planning everything for her visit. After the last couple of times I don't want anything going wrong."

"I really don't think you need to plan anything Twilight," Chris reasoned. "It sounds like it'll be pretty informal."

"Yeah, you're right," Twilight said, sounding like she was trying to reassure herself. "I just need to stay calm. Maybe I should do one of the things the Princess suggested."

"I like the sound of a tour around Ponyville. But first," Chris said, "I need a shower."

Twilight giggled, relaxing. "I wasn't going to say anything, but you do smell a bit."

"Hey!"

Twilight covered her laugh with a hoof. "Come on. I'll show you to the bathroom."

As Chris followed her out of the kitchen Spike called after them, "I think I'll stay here for now. I think I ate too much."

"Also, if it's not too much trouble, would you be able to give my clothes a wash? Chris asked as he trailed Twilight up the stairs. "I'd rather not be wandering around Ponyville in muddy clothes,"

"Sure. I know a clothing repair spell so I can fix up the rips and tears as well. Here it is," she said, stopping in front of a non-descript door.

"Thanks," Chris said with a smile.

"Hang on a second," she said as Chris went to enter. He gave her a questioning look. "What about your clothes? You'll need to give them to me if you want them washed."

Chris looked confused for a second, then grinned. "Rule one about humans Twilight," he explained. "We usually prefer to keep our clothes on. The exceptions are when we're alone or when we intend on getting intimate with someone."

The look of alarm and the blush that flashed over Twilight's face was priceless. "Exactly," he said as he entered the bathroom and closed the door. "Just give me a sec." There was a rustling of fabric and the door opened a crack, Chris's hand sticking out, holding his clothes in a tight bundle. Quickly grabbing them with her magic, Twilight trotted off to the laundry room, her cheeks a still little red.

Cleaning and repairing the clothes was easy enough, although some parts confused her. She frowned curiously at a triangular piece of cloth and two tube sort of things that she didn't remember seeing him wearing. One quick wash-and-dry spell later and the clothes looked pristine. _Except for the holes_, Twilight thought with a grin as she set to work repairing the various gashes. Within minutes everything looked good as new. Pleased with her hoof-work she folded the clothing neatly and walked back to the bathroom. From behind the door she could hear running water and, surprisingly, singing. Listening carefully she could make out the lyrics.

"Sweet dreams are made of these

Who am I to disagree?

Travelled the world and the seven seas

Everybody's looking for something."

Placing the pile next to the door, Twilight trotted away, the melancholy tune following her down the hall.

_He has a nice singing voice_, she thought absently.

* * *

**Hooray for the longest chapter yet. Or, if you don't like long chapters, boo for the longest chapter yet. I like to cater to everyone.**

**If you haven't tried fried banana with your pancakes I suggest you do so immediately. It is good.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Trio of Trouble

**Sorry it's been a bit between chapters. I got distracted with Minecraft. For a game with virtually no storyline it really sucks you in.**

**Anyway, it's time for Chris's grand tour of Ponyville! Read on!**

* * *

_Twilight did a really nice job_, Chris thought as he pulled his shirt over his head. It was once again a crisp white and all the tears had been seamlessly fixed. _There's not even any stitching_, Chris marvelled. His jeans were a similar story. All traces of mud had been removed and the knees had been fully repaired. His sneakers were looking better than he had ever seen them. Inspecting his reflection in the mirror, Chris straightened his shirt, then turned around and admired the view from the back. _I am such a narcissist_, he thought absently as he exited the bathroom.

Chris could hear voices coming from the main room as he walked down the hallway. Entering the room he was surprised to find Twilight chatting with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Spike was sitting across the room making googly eyes at Rarity. _Very secretive_, Chris thought.

"Hey Chris," Rainbow called.

"Hi. What are you all doing here?"

"We thought we should check in on ya," Applejack replied while the others nodded. "Make sure you were settlin' in ok."

"Thanks. I'm settling in just fine."

"We know, Twilight was just telling us about the breakfast you made," Rarity said. "It's a shame we missed it."

"Especially since there was fried banana!" Pinkie cried. "It sounds like such a great idea. I should try it sometime!"

"The trick is to fry them in their skins," Chris advised. "Helps to keep the sugars in. Or something like that. Did Twilight tell you about Celestia's letter?"

"Yes she did, and if you're going to meet with the Princess you simply must procure some formal attire," Rarity stated in a 'no arguments' tone.

"Do you still not like my clothes?" Chris asked with a grin.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "I admit they're better now that they're not torn and covered in dirt, but I still think they could do with some sprucing up."

"Well maybe we could stop by your boutique today," Chris suggested. "Twilight's going to show me around Ponyville. Would you guys like to come with?"

The ponies all agreed. "It sounds wonderful," Rarity chimed. "But first we should do something about your hair."

"If you come anywhere near me with scissors-"

"Oh don't make such a fuss," Rarity chided. "It just needs a good brush. Twilight do you have a hairbrush handy?"

"Upstairs in my room."

"Thank you darling. I'll be back in a moment," Rarity called as she trotted up the stairs.

Chris turned to the others, who were all looking very amused. "Help me," he whimpered.

They all shook their heads. Chris was on his own.

"Here it is. Now hold still."

"Ow! Hey, be careful!"

"Sorry but it's a bit-"

"OW!"

"-knotty back here."

"Pulling my - gah! - scalp off isn't going to help!"

"Oh don't be ridiculous."

"Ouch!"

"There, all done," Rarity said, finally leaving Chris's hair alone. He rubbed his head ruefully.

"Next time just give me the hairbrush and I'll do it myself, thank you very much," Chris snapped.

Twilight quickly stifled a giggled and said, "Alright then, shall we get going?"

"Lead on."

* * *

"Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle! You gotta hear this!" Scootaloo yelled as her scooter screeched to a halt.

"Slow down Scoots," Apple Bloom chided. "You could hurt somepony goin' that fast."

"Sorry Apple Bloom," the orange filly replied as she removed her helmet, "but I just heard the coolest rumour."

"You remember what happened last time we got involved with rumours, don't you?" Sweetie Belle cautioned. The Gabby Gums incident still made her feel uncomfortable.

"Don't worry Sweetie, it's not us spreading the rumours this time. I heard some ponies in town talking about some strange creature they saw."

"Strange creature?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle asked excitedly.

"Yeah, that's what everypony's saying," Scootaloo replied, just as excited as her friends. "I also heard that it came from the Everfree Forest and that it chased some ponies down the main road and into Sugarcube corner!"

"Oh my," Sweetie gasped. "It sounds dangerous."

"Sure does, but I don't see what's so important about it," Apple Bloom said.

"Well we never got to try out creature catching when we stayed at Fluttershy's," Scootaloo explained, "so I figure that this'll be a good time to try out that cutie mark!"

"Good idea Scoots," Apple Bloom praised.

"Let's go catch that creature!" Sweetie Belle declared.

"Alright then! Cutie Mark Crusaders Creature Catchers are a go!"

"YAY!"

* * *

"… and over there's Quills and Sofas," Twilight pointed to the large store on the corner.

"I wonder what they sell," Chris said.

"Quills and sofas silly," Pinkie Pie chirped as she bounced along beside him.

"It was sarcasm Pinkie."

So far Chris's tour of Ponyville had taken the group in a large circle around the town, past the town hall and through the market. Along the way he had been introduced to a lot of ponies, all of whom had asked the same two questions; what are you and where do you come from? Chris was almost considering pulling out Pinkie's giant sign. Fortunately they were nearing the end of the tour.

"And here we are, my own shop, Carousel Boutique," Rarity announced.

The building was… well Chris could think of no other word than froufrou. It looked like a cross between a two story house and a fairy princess palace. The whole thing was a barrage of different colours, blue, pink, purple, gold, white, all standing out from the others yet blending in perfectly. Intricate details and elegant structures covered every surface and a large sign with a carousel horse emblazoned on it stood right above the door. In Chris's opinion, it didn't just toe the line between showy and tacky. It danced a samba on it.

"I think I know why you find my clothes too plain Rarity," Chris said.

"Why's that?"

"Because you're so used to ridiculously over-designed things."

Rarity looked affronted. "Well, just because you have no taste for fashion, does not mean my house is 'over-designed'."

"If you say so."

* * *

"Have we got everything ready?"

"Yep. Ah' got the net, the rope an' the helmets."

"Aren't those just pots?" Sweetie Belle asked dubiously.

"I had ta' improvise, okay?" Apple Bloom snapped, annoyed that Sweetie had criticised her choice of protective headgear.

"Come on girls, focus," Scootaloo urged. "Are we all clear on the plan?"

"Find the creature," Sweetie Belle said.

"Catch it," Apple Bloom recited.

"And return it to the Everfree Forest," Scootaloo finished. "This'll be a piece of cake."

* * *

The scene inside the upstairs workroom in Carousel Boutique was one of utter boredom. Chris and Rarity were sitting at a small table covered in sketches of different pieces of human fashion. Spike was helping out Rarity, pinning yet more sketches to the walls and bringing her more pencils whenever she needed them. Twilight and Fluttershy had pulled out Rarity's chessboard and were in the middle of an intense tactical struggle involving Twilight's queen and both of Fluttershy's bishops. Rainbow Dash was fast asleep on the couch, and Applejack looked ready to drop off at any moment. Pinkie Pie was working on a colouring book with a large pack of crayons. Chris wasn't sure where the book or the crayons had come from. He hadn't felt inclined to ask.

"Come on Rarity," Chris groaned. "You've been asking me questions about clothes for two hours."

"I'm sorry darling, but this is all so fascinating. There are so many ideas and designs that I could use in my own work. Although," Rarity conceded, seeing Chris's expression, "I probably have enough to be getting on with for now. We can stop if you like."

Chris heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you Rarity. I'm going down to get a drink. Would anyone else like one?"

"I would like a glass of water, seeing as you're offering," Rarity said.

"Could I have one with a slice of lemon in it please?" Fluttershy called softly.

"I'm fine for now, but thanks for offering," said Twilight.

"Ah'm fine sugar cube," Applejack mumbled.

"Alright, be back in a second," Chris called as he walked down the stairs.

"Now then," Rarity said to herself as she stretched out her legs. "What should I work on first?"

"… And checkmate," Twilight said victoriously.

Fluttershy looked blankly at the board before noticing the trap her king had fallen into. "Oh my, I didn't even see that."

"You did a lot better this time Fluttershy," Twilight encouraged. "You saved your king quite a few times."

"Thanks Twilight, but I'm still not as good as you," Fluttershy complimented.

Twilight shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been playing chess for years. But you did really well for a first-timer."

Fluttershy beamed and opened her mouth to reply just as there was a tremendous SLAM from downstairs. Fluttershy let out a small squeak and jumped into the air, Applejack's head shot up and Rainbow awoke with a small snort.

"Wassat?" she asked blearily.

"CUITE MARK CRUSADERS CREATURE CATCHERS! YAY!"

"Uh oh," Rarity said.

"I'm not sure Chris is ready ta meet those three just yet," Applejack said as she headed for the stairs with the others following just behind her. As they entered the main room of the Boutique they were met with one of the strangest sights they had seen.

Chris was standing in the middle of the room, draped in a net and looking very confused. Scootaloo was standing off to the side wearing a saucepan on her head and holding a thick rope in her mouth. Apple Bloom was holding the other end of the rope and running in circles around Chris, tying him from head to foot. She too was wearing a pot as an impromptu helmet. Finally, Sweetie Belle was standing right in front of them, wearing a colander and looking very pleased with their work.

"Sweetie Belle!?" Rarity yelled.

Sweetie turned and let out a gasp. "Rarity, you're ok!" she cried, evidently relieved as she bounded forward and wrapped her sister in a tight hug.

"Sweetie Belle, what are you-"

"Don't worry Rarity," Sweetie proclaimed, apparently not hearing Rarity. "We've got everything under control."

"No need to fank uf," Apple Bloom said around the rope in her mouth, still circling Chris.

"Now to return it to the Everfree Forest," Scootaloo ordered. "Do you think it'll fit in the wagon?"

Now, Chris had been very patient up till this point. It wasn't being tied up that made him lose his cool. It wasn't the last two frustratingly dull hours. It wasn't even the lack of sleep he'd had last night. It was the fact that his ego simply couldn't handle him being referred to as an 'it'.

"Everyone SHUT UP!" he roared. Everyone froze, staring at him. Fixing the yellow filly in front of him with glare that could cut rock he said, very calmly, "Drop the rope. Now."

The filly obeyed instantly, and the rope falling around Chris's ankles. He quickly clawed his way out of the net while the three fillies gaped at him.

"You can talk?" The yellow one said eventually.

"Yes I can," Chris said coolly. "And if you three had stopped and thought for a second before rushing in, you would have found that out a mite sooner."

"But we heard…" The orange one trailed off.

"Hmm?" Chris raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"We heard a rumour that there was a dangerous creature in town," The yellow one said, avoiding Chris's gaze.

"And when we saw you in here, we assumed it was you," The white one finished as she walked over to stand beside her compatriots.

For a short while there was silence. "We're sorry for trying to catch you," the fillies chorused, starring down at their hooves.

Chris sighed and smiled softly. "Apology accepted. Just remember to stop and do some investigating before assuming a rumour is true." The fillies smiled back and nodded sheepishly.

"Now, take off the pots and introduce yourselves," Chris said. "My name's Chris. What are your names?"

"Ah'm Apple Bloom, Applejack sister," the yellow one said proudly. Her mane and tail were red and sported a large pink bow. Her eyes were a curious mix of red and orange.

"My name's Sweetie Belle," the white unicorn said. Her mane and tail were fashionably curled and striped pale pink and purple. Her eyes were mint green.

"And I'm Scootaloo," the orange pegasus finished. Her mane, tail and eyes were dark purple, contrasting powerfully with her orange coat.

"And we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" they shouted together.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Chris asked, not sure what that meant.

"Eeyup."

"We're crusading," Scootaloo said.

"For our cutie marks," Sweetie Belle added.

"Speaking of which," Apple Bloom said. All three of them looked back at their flanks, which were conspicuously blank.

"Still nothing," Scootaloo said dejectedly.

"I suppose we didn't really do any creature catching though," Sweetie Belle reasoned.

"Still these helmets gave me an idea," Apple Bloom announced brightly. "We could try blacksmithing!"

The other two instantly perked up. "Great idea Apple Bloom," Scootaloo praised.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sweetie Belle cried, and before anyone could suggest perhaps a safer idea, the three energetic fillies had raced out of the Boutique with a shout of "Cutie Mark Crusaders Blacksmiths! Yay!"

For a few moments no one could find anything to say.

"Are they always like that?" Chris eventually asked.

"Pretty much," Applejack said with a wry grin.

"Now, Chris. I'll need to get your measurements if I'm going to make you some nicer outfits."

Chris heaved a sigh and followed Rarity up the stairs. _When will it end?_ he thought to himself.

* * *

**Another chapter down! Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited and/or followed. It really means a lot to me.**

**Today's question: What kind of crazy misadventures would you like to see Chris and the CMC get up to?**

**See you all next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Coincidence?

Chris sighed as he stretched languidly under the covers of his bed in the library's guest bedroom, wearing a brand new pair of periwinkle silk pyjamas, courtesy of Rarity. That, he decided, was the best night's sleep he'd ever had. He didn't know what these ponies made their beds out of but it was officially the most comfortable thing in the history of ever. With a wide yawn he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The guest bedroom was a rather simple affair. The bed was pushed against the wall and a large chest of drawers with a mirror on top sat at the foot of it. A large round window was set in the wall opposite the door, underneath which was a small but solid writing desk. The final wall was a bookcase, stuffed full of books with covers of all colours.

Chris yawned again, part of him considering just going back to sleep. Other parts, presumably those closest to his stomach and bladder, were urging him to get out of bed. Grudgingly, Chris accepted the inevitable and threw off the blankets. Still yawning, he made his way down the hall to the bathroom.

After he'd relieved himself and splashed some cold water on his face Chris felt much more awake. And hungrier, he realised as his stomach growled loudly. Trotting downstairs into the main room he was surprised to see Twilight already awake in the middle of what Chris could only describe as a study cocoon. There was a chalkboard, a pile of notebooks taller than he was, several dozen quills, a small mountain of ink pots and a large mountain of books on just about every subject. Twilight was observing it all with a slightly manic grin.

"Morning Twilight," Chris said, feeling slightly concerned.

Twilight gasped in evident delight. "Oh good! You're finally awake," she cheered as she pranced over.

"I think so. What's all this about?"

Twilight's smile seemed to grow even wider. "Well I remembered how the Princess said I could try to learn more about your species and I thought it was such a wonderful idea. So I started coming up with all these questions to ask and then I realised that there was so much I could teach you about Equestria. So I got all the materials we'd need for a giant study session! Yay!" In Chris's opinion, Twilight seemed far too excited about the idea as she clapped her hooves together. With a sigh he resigned himself to another long day of talking about things he didn't really understand.

"Alright then," he said. "But first let me have some breakfast and get dressed. I don't want to hang around in my PJs all day."

* * *

Rarity hummed happily to herself as she walked through Ponyville with three white boxes stacked on her back, each tied with a red ribbon. Chris's new outfits had taken her most of the day, but it had been so worthwhile, she reflected. It was such a fascinating challenge working on an outfit for a completely different body shape. Sure it had been tricky at first, but Rarity had persevered and come through with her usual fabulosity. Although she may have overdone it a tad, she thought wryly. Chris had only asked for a couple of outfits, not three whole boxes of clothes. Still, he now had a wardrobe ready for any situation, something Rarity was happy to provide.

And so Rarity felt quite contented as she knocked on the door of Golden Oak Library. The door was quickly opened by Spike, whose cheeks went slightly red when he saw who it was.

"Oh, hi Rarity," he said with a goofy grin.

"Hello Spike," Rarity replied with a wide smile. He was always so adorable when he blushed. "Chris wouldn't happen to be – oh my," she said as she looked past Spike.

"I know," Spike agreed. "I've only seen her go off like this a few times. Come on in, Chris is just over there."

Rarity followed Spike into the library, staring in awe at the massive pile of books that was scattered over most of the floor. A chalkboard sat off to one side, the whole thing taken up by a massive Venn diagram. Both circles were filled to the brim with miniscule, cramped writing. In the middle of the book-splosion sat Twilight Sparkle, her mane frayed and tangled. Numerous notebooks filled with scribbles floated around her, along with several heavy looking textbooks. Even as Rarity watched Twilight gave a frustrated growl and lobbed one of the textbooks over her shoulder. Chris was reclining on a large pillow on the opposite side of the room, casually sipping on a glass of lemonade.

"Hey Rarity," he called. "What's that you got there?"

Rarity pulled her eyes off Twilight's maddened study frenzy and gave Chris a beaming smile. "These are your new outfits, darling."

Chris frowned at the pile on her back. "Three boxes? But I only asked for two or three outfits."

"Oh I know dear," Rarity replied as she magically lifted the boxes and set them on the floor. "But sometimes I get a bit caught up in my work. I may have ended up making a few more than intended."

At once Chris looked apologetic. "You didn't have to do all that just for me Rarity."

"Oh don't be silly dear, I was happy to do it," she insisted.

"Alright then," Chris said, still a bit uncomfortable with all the work Rarity had done just for him. "I promise I'll pay you back someday."

"Consider them a present dear. No, I won't hear anything against it," she said as Chris opened his mouth to argue.

Chris seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before shrugging. "If you insist."

"Very much so."

Chris grinned widely and wrapped Rarity in a quick hug. "You're awesome, you know that?"

Rarity smiled back. "I have been told." A flurry of movement across the room caught her eye and her smile faltered as she turned back to Twilight. The lavender unicorn had hurtled a couple of notebooks across the room, quickly replacing them with three new ones. She had also begun to mutter quietly to herself. Rarity could just make out the phrase "there has to be an answer" repeated over and over.

"Is… Twilight alright?" she asked tentatively.

"Uh... not really. I think she's going a little loopy." Rarity had to wonder about Chris's definition of 'a little'.

"Whatever managed to put her into such a state?"

"Well," Chris said thoughtfully. "I guess it sort of started when she realised that humans and ponies use the same alphabet."

"Really? How strange," Rarity wondered.

"That's what she said. Then we found that there are a lot of cities in Equestria that are like those in my world. Las Pegasus, Las Vegas. Manehattan, Manhattan. It sort of went downhill from there," Chris grimaced. "We kept finding all these weird similarities, way too many to be called coincidence, and Twilight just kept getting more and more obsessed with it. And, well, here we are."

"That definitely sounds like Twilight," Rarity admitted.

"I've tried to get her to drop it but she keeps telling me she'll work it out if it's the last thing she does. So I figured it was just better to let her burn herself out and give it up. It's also kind of amusing to watch," he admitted with a guilty grin.

"Oh I don't think that's such a good idea," Rarity cautioned. Chris gave her a questioning look and she explained. "That I know of, she's only been this worked up twice. The first time she ended up in a wheelchair with casts on her legs and the other she caused a town-wide riot."

"Huh," Chris said after a pause. "Maybe I should let her off the hook then."

Rarity glared at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Chris flashed her a roguish grin. "Just watch. Hey Twilight," he called over. Twilight's head snapped around, her pupils contracted to pinpricks, silently daring him to tell her to drop it. Chris, to his credit, seemed completely at ease. "What if it's like a parallel dimension, where things are similar but also different?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. Twilight was staring at Chris with a stunned expression. Chris looked like he was enjoying himself. Rarity wasn't sure what was going on, but felt it was important to remain quiet.

"That…" Twilight said slowly. "Could… actually make sense." Excitement seeped into her face as she bounded to her hooves, quickly picking up a couple of textbooks and flipping through the pages. "Yes!" she cheered. "That could well explain everything! Did you figure that out just now Chris?"

"Actually I thought of it about an hour and a half ago."

Again, silence thicker than cement. Very slowly, Twilight turned to face Chris, who was still grinning.

"But I've been trying to figure this out for-"

"About two hours," Chris finished. Rarity wished he'd stop grinning.

Twilight's eye twitched. "So you could have told me after half an hour?" Chris nodded. Her mane started to spark at the edges. "Why didn't you?"

"You told me to be quiet," Chris said innocently. At this point Twilight lost it completely. Her mane exploded into a wild inferno, her coat turned white-hot and her eyes turned deadly red. The fire show only lasted for a few seconds before Twilight went out. Her head drooped and she breathed deeply as she glared at Chris.

"I'm going to be in my room," She said icily, before stomping up the stairs.

For a long while, Rarity couldn't think of anything to say. "That was kind of mean," she said eventually.

"Maybe a little," Chris conceded. "I'll apologise tomorrow."

"Yes, it's probably best to give her a little space at the moment," Rarity agreed. Both of them could hear the angry muttering drifting down from upstairs. Chris could just make out the swear words and threats of violent injury.

"Maybe I should lock my door tonight. Just in case."

* * *

**Welcome back everypony! Thanks for reading and remember to favourite and follow. Seriously, do it. Go on. The buttons are right there. You know you want to.**

**On a side note I cannot spell Rarity right on the first go. It keeps coming out Rairty. What's with that?**


	9. Chapter 9: One Heck of a Party!

"I said I was sorry Twilight," Chris sighed as he munched on his cornflakes. Twilight replied with an angry glare and a cold "hmph" before walking out of the kitchen with her nose in the air.

"Don't worry about her too much Chris," Spike said as he ate his own cornflakes, which were liberally sprinkled in tiny rubies. "She just needs a bit more time to cool off, that's all."

"I just wish she'd stop glaring at me like that," Chris admitted in a hushed voice. "I feel like she's going to slice me in half every time she does."

Spike sniggered into his cereal. "When do the Princesses get here?"

"At about noon, I think."

"EXACTLY noon," Twilight shouted from the other room. "So you'd better be ready when she gets here."

Chris sighed. "Are you sure she'll cool down?"

"Don't worry, she will. Probably."

"That's comforting."

* * *

Twilight was busy putting all the books back into their proper places. She hadn't realised at the time just how much she'd messed up the library in her studying frenzy. She shot a scowl up the stairs as she levitated several books back onto the shelves. Chris had gone upstairs a few minutes before to have a shower and dress. She held the glower for a few more moments then gave a tired sigh. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him forever. Sure it had been a bit of a mean prank, but in the end it had been relatively harmless.

"How do I look?"

Twilight looked back at the stairs as Chris walked down, wearing a set of brand new clothes. He was dressed in a pale blue dress shirt, a black waistcoat, dark blue jeans and a blue pair of shoes she remembered he called Converse.

"Very classy," Twilight complimented with a smile. Chris noticed the friendly tone and smile, but tactfully decided not to mention it.

"So now I guess we just have to wait," he sighed.

A sharp knocking came from the front door. Chris was closest and swung the door open with a friendly smile. It quickly turned to a look of confusion when he beheld an empty doorway.

"Who is it?" Twilight called as she picked up some more books.

"No one. Oh hang on, there's a letter."

Twilight looked curiously over her shoulder as Chris closed the door and tore open the envelope.

"Dear Twilight, Chris and Spike," he read. "Would you all please meet me at Sugarcube Corner as soon as possible? Love, Pinkie Pie. Odd," Chris looked up at Twilight. "Why do you think she wants us to meet her?"

"It could be anything with Pinkie Pie," Twilight pointed out. She carefully placed the last book into its proper spot on the shelf. "I'm all finished cleaning up. Let's get going. Spike," she called up the stairs.

There was the sound of someone spitting, then, "Yeah?"

"Pinkie invited us to Sugarcube Corner. Are you all ready to go?"

"Just let me finish brushing my teeth," Spike called.

Once Spike had joined them they exited the library and headed down the road to Sugarcube Corner, all the while throwing around theories about Pinkie's invitation.

"Maybe it's another load of baked bads," Spike suggested, licking his lips.

"Baked bads?" Chris asked.

"Really terrible cupcakes," Twilight explained. "Applejack accidentally helped Pinkie bake them once when she was over-tired."

"How really terrible?"

"They caused a medical emergency."

"Yikes. Hey, does it seem rather quiet to you?"

Twilight looked around, noticing that they hadn't passed any other ponies on their way through town. "Where is everypony?" she wondered.

"Do you think it could be zombie-ponies this time?" Spike said, terrified at the thought.

"Doubt it," Twilight said.

"There's Sugarcube Corner," Chris announced as the ginger-bread building came into view. "Maybe we'll find some answers there."

He noticed, though, that Sugarcube Corner seemed rather dark. No lights were on and Chris found himself feeling slightly nervous as he climbed the steps and pushed the door open. Inside everything was pitch black. Chris could her hushed whispers surrounding him on all sides. Then the lights clicked on and there was a great roar of "SURPRISE" as nearly every pony in Ponyville popped out of their hiding places. Chris, to his credit, handled this rather well, with only the slightest of flinches betraying his shock. The sound of party hooters filled the air, confetti and streamers rained from the ceiling and Chris found himself hugged ferociously by Pinkie Pie.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it! At first I was worried that you wouldn't be able to come and that would be no fun because you can't have a party without the guest of honour, but you are here so now I know this party will be a blast." Much of this was lost on Chris, who was struggling to breathe in Pinkie's crushing grip.

"What's all this for Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie released Chris and frowned at Twilight. "Don't you remember? When Chris first came here we agreed we'd have a party in three days. And that was three days ago." Pinkie looked very proud. "I promised that I would throw the bestest party for Chris ever. And by gum, when Pinkie makes a promise, she keeps it," Pinkie finished, blowing a large pink bubble. Twilight didn't even ask where she got the gum from.

"I'd completely forgotten that," Chris admitted. "It's a good thing we've got you around Pinkie."

"You bet it is. Now I've got to go make sure that everypony's having a good time. Have fun Chris!" And with that Pinkie bounced away, as full of high spirits and energy as always.

Chris shook his head. "Talking to her always feels…"

"Overwhelming?" Twilight supplied.

"Exactly."

"Now that's one thing ya never quite get used to," Applejack said as she trotted over, followed by Rarity, who was looking at his outfit with evident approval.

"That's a very sharp look you've crafted for yourself darling," she said.

Chris grinned. "Thanks. I was going for a combination of casual and sophisticated."

"Well you've definitely achieved it."

Chris grinned wider as he wandered over to the snacks table, which was piled high with all sorts of treats as well as a giant bowl of punch. "Where are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?" he asked.

Applejack waved her hoof in the direction of the crowd. "Over there… somewhere," she said vaguely.

"That's helpful," said Chris. "We'll never find them in that crowd. They can fly over it, so we'll wait for them to find us."

"Wait's over," Rainbow said as she landed in front of them, closely followed by Fluttershy. "Pinkie sure knows how to throw a party, right?"

"That she does," Chris agreed, popping a small yellow candy into his mouth. To everyone's surprise his face screwed up and he made a curious "mph" sound before spitting the sweet into the far corner of the room.

"Oh my god," he gasped, looking horrified. "I don't know what that was but it was horrible. It was like concentrated essence of a demon-lemon."

"Oh yeah, those are my new Super-Duper Super Sour Lemon Treats," Pinkie Pie chirped as she bounced over. "They're pretty good aren't they?" Pinkie didn't seem to catch Chris's incredulous stare as she ate one of the sweets and bounced away humming.

Rainbow burst into peals of laughter. "The look on your face," she gasped. "It was hilarious, ha ha!"

"I'd like to see you do any better," Chris challenged. Rainbow grinned competitively.

"You're on," she said, grabbing one of the lemon treats. As soon as it hit her tongue, her eyes widened and her face puckered. A small tear formed in her eye before she spat it into the same corner. Chris was bent double with laughter.

"You're right, that is pretty funny."

Rainbow quickly recovered her competitiveness. "Oh yeah? Well I bet I can hold one of those in my mouth longer than you can."

Chris grinned back at her. "You're on."

Both of them grabbed another treat from the bowl. "On three," Chris said. "One… two… three!"

The others looked on in fascination as the two competitor's faces contorted and puckered. Chris grabbed onto the table for support while Rainbow simply wobbled in place, seemingly unable to move. Then, strangely, their faces cleared and they looked surprised.

"Huh," Rainbow said.

"You know once you get past the insanely sour outside these are kinda nice," Chris said.

"I still think I'll pass," said Twilight. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Pansies," he said. Twilight's reply was to blow a raspberry at him.

"Hey Chris," Pinkie called. "Some of the ponies want you to give a speech. Come on!"

Before Chris could say more than "Wait, what?" Pinkie had pushed him across the room and up onto a small stage. Chris suddenly found himself the centre of attention, with every pair of eyes locked on him. His stomach fluttered and he laughed nervously.

"Hi everypony," he said, fully aware of the colour in his cheeks. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say, and I'm not one for public speaking at the best of times." The crowd giggled. "Well, my name's Chris and I'm not really from around here." Again, giggles. "I've really only been here a short time," he said as he gained confidence, "but it's been one of the best times of my life. I've made seven awesome friends," he nodded to where Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie were standing, "and I'm looking forward to knowing the rest of you as well. Now, let's turn on the music and have ourselves a party."

The crowd cheered and applauded as Chris stepped down from the stage. Music started up, a cheerful tune that set many of the ponies to jiving. Chris quickly made his way through the crowd back to the others, who were all wearing wide smiles.

"I hate doing speeches," he said with an embarrassed grin.

"Why? That was really good. Nice and short," Twilight encouraged. "Now come on, let's go dance."

Chris shook his head. "I think I'll just watch for now."

Twilight shrugged, already swaying to the beat of the music. "Suit yourself."

Chris moved off to the side as the ponies all began dancing. Pretty soon the whole room was rocking along to the song. Chris hummed along to the tune but decided against dancing. _One speech is more than enough public attention for one day_, he thought.

As time wore on though Chris found himself being introduced to almost every pony in the room. First Applejack came up and introduced him to her brother and grandmother, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. Then he met Cheerilee, the teacher at the local school, Mr Breezy, who owned a fan store, Bon Bon, who ran a candy stall in the market, Octavia, who could play the cello, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, a pair of rich fillies that Chris took an instant dislike to, and many others that Chris couldn't remember. Finally the supply of ponies wanting to meet him was exhausted. Feeling thoroughly worn out, Chris collapsed into a convenient chair.

"Why are you sitting down, silly billy?" Pinkie asked as she popped up beside him. "There's still a whole lot of party to have! And you haven't even danced yet."

"No thanks Pinkie," Chris said. "I don't really feel like dancing."

"Come oooonnnn," Pinkie pleaded, her eyes growing larger. "Just one dance? Pretty please?"

Chris could feel his resistance slipping away as he stared into Pinkie's puppy dog face. "Oh alright then. One dance."

"YAY!"

Twilight was at the snack table getting some punch, when the crowd erupted into wild cheers. Looking around she was surprised to see Pinkie Pie leading Chris into the middle of the room just as the song ended. The crowd quickly backed up, clearing a large open space around the two. Chris caught Twilight's eye and shrugged, as if to say 'why not'.

The new song started up with a rapid thumping of drums setting a fast tempo, quickly joined by the deep thrumming notes of a double bass. Chris started to sway, shifting from one foot to the other. Everyone was surprised when Pinkie got up on her hind legs and started copying his actions. Chris recovered quickly and grinned at Pinkie, who beamed back. Some silent agreement passed between them and they both stepped forward, Chris taking one of Pinkie's hooves in one hand while the other went to her waist, Pinkie's other hoof resting on his shoulder. A trumpet blared, powerful and energetic and suddenly they were moving. Dancing with incredible speed and in perfect unison. They split apart, slid past each other, joined hooves and kept dancing. The music was swelled, the lone trumpet was joined by the rest of the swing band and the dance went into overdrive. Pinkie's hooves left the floor as she spun around, flipped over Chris's shoulder and from there Twilight pretty much lost track of what was happen. She remembered a lot of flipping and spinning. By the time the song finished Chris and Pinkie were both breathing heavily and wearing identical face splitting grins. The crowd went wild with applause as they took a bow.

"That was a very nice routine," Twilight complimented as Chris collapsed into his chair.

"Yeah that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Where did you learn to dance like that dear?" Rarity asked.

Chris managed a laugh. "I didn't. That just sort of… happened."

Rainbow gave him a sceptical look. "Really? It just happened?"

Chris shrugged. "That's all I got. Oh man that was tiring."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "That one dance wiped you out? Seriously?"

"Hey that was a really fast dance. Also I'm not exactly the fittest person ever," Chris admitted.

"Maybe I should be your personal trainer," Rainbow joked. Then she looked thoughtful. "That's actually not a bad idea."

"I really don't think that's necessary."

"Nope, I've decided," Rainbow announced. "I'm not going to rest until I've gotten you in shape!"

"Oh joy," Chris muttered. The others giggled.

"Oh horse apples," Twilight blurted out. Chris raised his eyebrows in a silent question and Twilight nodded at the clock on the wall. "It's already noon."

"Oh cripes," Chris said as he got out of his chair and headed for the door. "Come on we don't want to be laaa…"

The word died in Chris's throat as he pulled open the door and came face to muzzle with a snow white alicorn. Her mane and tail were coloured blue, green, purple and pink and looked as though they were floating in a non-existent wind. Her eyes were pink and overflowing with kindness and warmth. She was dressed in golden horseshoes, a gold peytral and a small gold tiara, both with purple crystals set in them. Just behind her stood another alicorn, this one dark blue with a mane and tail that looked like they were crafted from the night sky. Her eyes were green and calm. She wore silver horseshoes, a plain black tiara and a black peytral with a white crescent moon on it. _Twilight's descriptions were very accurate,_ Chris thought.

Princess Celestia smiled kindly and said, "So this is where everypony got to."

* * *

**Swing dancing is, by far, one of the most awesome types of dancing to watch. Anyway make sure to follow and favourite or I shall sneak a Super-Duper Super Sour Lemon Treat into your breakfast. Now that'd be one heck of a wake up call!**


	10. Chapter 10: A Meeting With Royalty

"And here we are. Come on in," Chris said as he held the door open for the Celestia and Luna. Twilight had elected to stay behind at the party, insisting that Chris should talk with her fellow princesses alone.

"My, it looks clean in here. Has Twilight tidied up recently?" Celestia asked.

"You could say that," Chris said casually as he closed the door. "Would either of you like something to drink?"

"No thank you," Celestia replied. "We won't be able to stay long and there are important things that my sister and I wish to discuss with you."

"Fair enough then. Where would you like to start?" Chris asked as he took a seat on the couch.

Luna asked the first question. "In Twilight's letter she said that you did not wish to return to your own world, though she did not say why. We were wondering what your reasons were for wanting to stay in Equestria."

"Oh," Chris said uneasily. "Well…"

"I apologise," Luna said quickly. "This topic obviously makes you uncomfortable. If you wish we can move on to another question."

"No it's fine," Chris assured her. "But you're not wrong when you say this is an uncomfortable subject for me, so I'm not going to go into detail. The gist is that my family… didn't really make me feel like family. My parents always expected more than I could give and demanded that I do what they told me to. My older brother was more successful than me and never hesitated to remind me of the fact. And my younger sister was a brat who took up all my parent's time. I feel so much happier here than I ever did with them. So I decided to stay. Not being able to find the way back definitely helped making that decision."

Both princesses were looking at him with a mixture of shock and pity. "I cannot imagine what that must have been like," Luna said.

"Surely you must have had some friends in your world who cared about you?" Celestia asked. Chris shook his head morosely.

"Not really. I was kind of a lonely person."

"In that case I think that it is a very good thing that you came to Equestria. I would be more than happy to allow you to stay permanently."

"Thank you, your majesty," Chris smiled.

"However there is one thing we need to sort out if you are going to stay in Ponyville."

"What's that?"

"Well, Twilight sent me the notes she made on your species yesterday, and I was concerned at your… dietary requirements."

"Ah. I assume you're talking about my more carnivorous habits," Chris said.

"Indeed," said Luna.

"Then I'm going to tell you exactly what I told her. I will not apologise for my nature or for what I have eaten in the past. Do you feel guilty whenever you eat an apple?"

The question caught Celestia off guard. "Uh… no?"

"Exactly. Now what if you suddenly found yourself in a land where all the apples walked and talked and you ended up making friends with them? Would you be so keen to continue eating apples?"

Celestia saw what he was getting at. "No I suppose I wouldn't. Can humans survive without eating meat?"

Chris nodded. "Plenty of people where I come from choose not to eat meat. I just need to make sure I get enough iron and I'll be fine."

Celestia breathed a sigh. "That's a relief to hear. I admit the idea of you having to consume other creatures was… distressing."

"I understand," Chris said kindly. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, please."

"Do you two really raise the sun and the moon?"

"Yes we do," Celestia answered with a smile. "I understand that things work quite differently in your world."

"Very differently. In more ways than just that. Things like pegasi making the weather and manually changing the seasons are kind of new concepts. Anyway what other questions did you have?"

"Actually I have a question regarding something in Twilight Sparkle's notes," Luna said. "While reading them I noticed there was a word I did not recognise, with 'no explanation' written underneath it. I was wondering-"

"No," Chris interrupted, suddenly looking very serious.

"But I didn't even say what-"

"The word was holocaust," Chris said, "and I am not going to give you a definition for it." He crossed his arms with an air of finality.

"But why not?" Luna asked, looking at him imploringly. Chris was unfazed.

"Because as far as I'm concerned that word doesn't belong here. Trust me when I say that you do not want to know what it means." _If Celestia found eating meat distressing, I can't imagine she'd handle the idea of a holocaust all that well, _Chris thought.

"If you insist. I shall abide by your choice," Luna sighed, looking put out.

"Thank you," Chris said gently. "I'm sorry if I came across as rude by the way."

"It's quite alright," Celestia assured. "Truthfully it is refreshing to talk to somepony in such a casual manner."

Chris shrugged with a smile. "I aim to please. Next question?"

Celestia thought for a few moments. "Would you be able to share some of your advancements in science with us? You probably already know that your technology is far ahead of our own-"

"Although I am surprised at how advanced it is," Chris put in. "You ponies even have televisions. You should see the size of the one Twilight has in her basement. No game consoles though which I think is a bit of a waste but-" Chris caught the quizzical stares the princesses were throwing at him and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry. Go on."

Celestia giggled before continuing. "As I was saying, your technology is far ahead of our own. Would you consent to sharing these advances with our scientists?"

"I don't really think I'd be much help in that regard," Chris admitted. "I have some passing knowledge about some things in science, but I'm not sure it's all that helpful. Still, I'll do what I can. Just as long as they ask me nothing about any sort of weaponry. Those advancements I think I'll keep to myself."

"I think that would be best. Twilight described your specie's… propensity for war. I have no wish for my little ponies to start developing weapons like your kind have."

"Neither have I. Anyway what else would you like to know?"

"Actually we must be going now," Luna said. "We have already lingered longer than we should."

"Really? You weren't kidding when you said you couldn't stay long."

Celestia laughed as she walked to the door. "There's only so much free time you can have when you are the ruler of a country."

"Fair point." Chris followed the princesses outside, where a pair of chariots were parked, each drawn by a quartet of pegasus guards. "Have a safe trip."

"Thank you. Why don't you go and enjoy the rest of your party? I'm sure Pinkie Pie will want to keep it going well into the night."

"Most likely," Chris agreed. Then, on a whim, he placed a hand on his chest and bowed respectfully. "It's been a pleasure meeting you both."

"Likewise," Celestia said before the chariots lifted off from the ground and flew away. Chris stared after them.

"Flying chariots," he muttered to himself. "I didn't see that one coming."

* * *

**Wow. Short chapter.**

**I'll be honest I'm not really sure I like how this one came out. It doesn't really feel like a very strong chapter to me. Oh well.**

**Go ahead and favourite and follow if you're enjoying the story. It really makes me feel awesome to know that more people are looking forward to reading my stuff.**

**And yes, my ponies have TVs. Deal with it.**


	11. Chapter 11: A Perfect Saturday

Chris and Twilight Sparkle were sitting inside the library, each with their own little pile of books. Twilight was studying a whole bunch of new, powerful spells and she was determined to master them all as soon as possible. Chris, on the other hand, was busy chewing through _Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone_. Twilight had only introduced him to the book an hour ago and he was already hooked. His eyes flicked back and forth as he quickly devoured the riveting novel.

* * *

Rainbow Dash sighed contentedly as she looped through the air. She'd finished her weather duties earlier than expected and had decided to spend some time practicing her stunts. A good hour had been spent zooming through the sky, expertly pulling off barrel rolls, loop-de-loops, high speed dives and even a buccaneer blaze or two. Thoroughly worn out, she alighted atop a cloud and settled down for a good nap.

* * *

Applejack lay propped up against a tree with her hat pulled down over her eyes. Dappled sunlight shone through the leaves of the farm's apple trees and the fragrant scent of apple cider wafted down the fields. The day's apple bucking had been a breeze and she and Big Mac had gotten all the apples into the apple cellar without any hiccups at all. She'd decided to have a quick rest while Big Mac took Applebloom into town to meet with the other crusaders. The quick rest had turned into a long sleep pretty fast.

* * *

Rarity hummed to herself as she worked on her new line of clothing. Spare fabric and spools of thread littered her idea room in what she called organised chaos. A quiet whir joined chorus with her humming as she carefully fed fabric through her sewing machine. She absolutely loved this new fabric Chris had introduced her to. Denim, he had called it. Sturdy and casual, yet still quite fashionable. She was sure Applejack would love some of the new designs she'd come up with.

* * *

Fluttershy smiled widely as she unfolded the picnic blanket while Mr Bear opened up the basket and began to lay out the food. It was such a lovely day that Fluttershy had decided to have little picnic with her animal friends. She pulled a large pitcher of orange juice from her saddlebags as Mr and Mrs Squirrel got out the cups. Soon Fluttershy, Mr Bear, Mr and Mrs Squirrel, Ms Blue jay, Angel Bunny and Mr Otter were tucking into the delicious jams sandwiches, raisin cakes and custard tarts that Fluttershy had brought along.

* * *

Pinkie Pie bounced along the streets of Ponyville, singing merrily and thinking about all her upcoming parties, making mental checklists of all the supplies she'd need to get. She'd need streamers and balloons and confetti and cake and party games and sugar canes and sundaes and sarsaparilla and…

* * *

All in all, it was a perfect Saturday.

* * *

**Hello out there. Pretty short chapter this time. I figured Chris and the Mane Six deserved a break. It's been a full couple of days so I decided to give them Saturday off. Aren't I nice?**

**Of course I make no promises about tomorrow (evil laughter).**


	12. Chapter 12: Unicorn Flu

Rainbow Dash snored loudly as she lounged on a cloud floating above Ponyville. The weather had been harder work than usual and had taken most of the morning, even with her speed. Thankfully that was all wrapped up and there was nothing to stop her from taking it easy for the rest of the day.

WHUMP!

All of a sudden Rainbow was freezing and covered in some sort of heavy blanket. With a shout of surprise she leapt off the cloud and out of the little pile of snow that had appeared out of nowhere.

"What the hay?" she cried. She looked down at the cloud and did a double take. "Whoa."

It wasn't just her cloud that had been covered in snow. The whole of Ponyville was draped in a thick white blanket. Every pool and pond had frozen over as well and the ponies were milling around in the snow, confused and alarmed. Then, even as Rainbow Dash watched, the snow began to melt, disappearing as quickly as it came. Within moments Ponyville was once again snow-free, if a little soggy.

Rainbow hovered above the town, trying to figure out what had just happened. Inspiration came in the form of a conflagration of fireworks flying out of the windows of Golden Oak Library. "What's Twilight up to?" Rainbow wondered as she flew towards the tree-building. As she landed there was a whoosh and every leaf on the tree turned vibrant pink. Rainbow Dash stared at the tree for a few seconds, unable to look away from the optical overload. Then the spell fizzled out and the leaves returned to their normal colouration. Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash trotted up to the door and knocked. There was the sound of hooves and the door opened to reveal, to Rainbow's surprise, Rarity.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash," she said tiredly. "I assume you're here about the snow just now?"

"Uh yeah. What are you doing here?"

"Twilight sent for me, asking for some help," Rarity explained, stepping aside to let Rainbow through the door.

"With what?" Rainbow asked as she entered the library. Before Rarity could reply there was a loud "achoo!" and suddenly every book had flown off the shelves and started doing a conga across the floor. There was even accompanying music. Rarity sighed.

"I believe that is an adequate answer to your question," she said as she headed for the stairs. Rainbow followed on, confused.

"What was that? Is Twilight sick or something?" she asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Oh no it isn't Twilight, dear," Rarity answered as she pushed a door open. "It's Chris. He has the unicorn flu."

Chris was huddled in his bed, wrapped thickly in blankets. He was sniffing and shivering, an ice pack on his head. Twilight was standing next to the bed, peering at the thermometer she was levitating in front of her nose.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash. What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised and confused.

"I wanted to know what the hay's going on with all the magic stuff. Are you practising some new spells? And what's wrong with Chris?"

"I told you darling," Rarity said patiently, "he has the unicorn flu."

"But… he's not a unicorn," Rainbow pointed out.

"Technically you don't have to be a unicorn to get it," Twilight explained. "And it's also not an actual flu. Ponies just call it that because of the flu-like symptoms. The proper name for the condition is Magic Build-up Syndrome. It occurs sometimes in young unicorn foals who are starting to develop magic. If they produce more magical energy than they use their bodies will start getting rid of it in large bursts, usually with a sneeze."

"Did you get this flu thingy?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I started using my magic as soon as it developed. Rarity had it though."

"Indeed. It was not a very pleasant experience."

"Hang on a second," Rainbow said, realising something. "Are you saying that Chris can do magic?"

"Apparently so," Twilight confirmed. "And judging by some of the effects his sneezing has had he has a lot of it."

"Wee," Chris croaked from the bed.

"Hey, I said no talking," Twilight scolded, sticking the thermometer back in his mouth.

"So how long does this usually last?" Rainbow asked.

"It can be anywhere from-"

"Ah… ah…"

"Uh oh."

"Brace yourself," Rarity advised.

"ACHOO!"

Rainbow stood stock still, her eyes tightly closed, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments of nothing she carefully opened an eye. Everything looked exactly the same. Rarity and Twilight were looking around the room, equally confused.

"Maybe it was a dud?" Rainbow suggested.

"No I definitely felt a release of magic," Twilight said as she looked out the window. "Ponyville looks the same as well. I wonder what happened."

"Um, Twi?" said a voice from above them. "Would you mind explainin' what Ah'm doin' here."

Twilight looked up and was surprised to see Applejack standing upside down on the ceiling, looking very confused.

"Applejack?" Chris asked woozily. "What're you doing up there?"

"Ah don't rightly know. More importantly, how do Ah get down?"

"Don't worry," Twilight said. "The spell should wear off-"

"WOAH!" CRASH!

"Soon," Twilight finished with a wince.

"You ok AJ?" Rainbow asked as she helped Applejack to her feet.

"Yep, Ah'm fine," Applejack replied, brushing herself off. "Now what in the hay is goin' on Twilight?"

"Chris has a bad case of Magic Build-up Syndrome."

"… Meaning?"

"He has too much magic in him so he's casting random spells whenever he sneezes," Rainbow explained briefly.

"Oh, why didn't ya say so?"

"I did," Twilight huffed. They were interrupted by a tiny, almost imperceptible knock on the library's front door. "Oh, that'll be Fluttershy with some of her herbal teas. Would you mind letting her in Rarity?"

"Of course."

"Now, Chris. Let check your temperature again," Twilight said as she pulled the thermometer from his mouth. She frowned as she peered at the numbers along the side. "Your fever's getting worse. You're going through the stages of the flu really fast."

"Well that's good, ain't it?" Applejack asked.

"Well, sort of," Twilight replied, looking unsure. "On one hoof that means he'll get better sooner. But the thing is the final magic burst is the biggest one of them all. It uses up all the magic a pony has in them. And with the amount of magic Chris has been putting out with the regular sized bursts…" she trailed off. Rainbow Dash and Applejack picked up on what she meant.

"That could be a problem," Rainbow agreed as she edged away from Chris.

"Exactly. Hi Fluttershy," Twilight said as the shy pegasus opened the door, closely followed by Rarity and, strangely, Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy was wearing her saddlebags and Pinkie had several balloons tied to her tail. As soon as Fluttershy laid eyes on Chris she went into full nursing mode.

"Oh you poor dear," she cooed. "Now don't you worry. I have some tea that'll help clear your nose and lower your fever."

While Fluttershy rummaged around in her saddlebags Twilight questioned Pinkie.

"So what are you doing Pinkie?"

"Well I was walking along and I met Fluttershy who said that she was on her way here with some medicine because Chris was sick and the idea of Chris being sick made me sad so I thought I could give him some get well balloons because as we all know, laughter is the best medicine," Pinkie recited at top speed.

"Oh. Well, ok then."

"Now I'll be back in just a moment," Fluttershy reassured Chris. "I'm just going to make your tea."

"OK Fluttershy. Than…ah… ACHOO!"

For a second everypony stood still and nothing seemed to happen. Then Fluttershy let out a small squeak as the teabag she was holding yanked itself out of her grasp and floated in mid-air. It was soon joined by a cup and saucer and Twilight's tea pot, which had apparently been racing each other down the hall. A puff of steam escaped the pot as it raised its lid and the teabag jumped in. The pot then began shaking itself vigorously before pouring the freshly brewed tea into the cup. The whole ensemble then set itself down on the bedside table with a polite clink. For a while everyone stared at the now inanimate tea set.

"Well that was… interesting," Twilight said.

"Um, well I guess your tea is ready," Fluttershy said quietly, nudging the cup towards Chris.

"Thank you," he croaked, taking a small sip. Then he said, in an offhand way, "I've got a headache now."

"Uh oh. That means we won't have long until the big one," Twilight announced.

"Can ya tell how long exactly?" Applejack asked anxiously.

Twilight shook her head. "We won't know until it's just about to happen.

"Ah…"

"Oh horse apples."

"AH…"

"Take cover!"

"ACHOO!"

Chris blinked blearily, feeling very confused. "Who turned out the day?" he asked dimly.

"I think you did," Twilight said as she looked out the window. Where the sun had been but seconds before the moon now hung, large and silvery. Even as she watched the moon was quickly pulled back below the horizon and the sun zipped to its proper position at this time of day.

"I suppose we'll be having a visit from the Princesses soon, if Chris moved the sun and the moon" Rarity said. "I wish I'd brought a hat."

Just then there was an urgent rapping on the door downstairs. Pinkie turned to Rarity with an ecstatic smile. "Are you psychic?" she squealed.

Twilight sighed. "I'll go get it. Keep an eye on Chris. How am I going to explain this to Celestia?"

When she opened the door, however, she was surprised to see, not Celestia, but Luna, looking very concerned.

"Thank goodness you are here Twilight Sparkle," she said as soon as the door opened. "I am sure you noticed the sudden change in night and day just now. This done by neither myself nor my sister, but we both felt an incredible surge of unfamiliar magic coming from Ponyville. This is most concerning for us and we would like your help in finding this powerful unicorn."

"You don't have to worry Luna," Twilight reassured her. "I already know who it is. It's actually Chris. He has the unicorn flu."

Luna seemed lost for words. "Chris can… use magic?" she asked eventually.

Twilight nodded. "Why don't you come in? I'll explain what I can."

"So you're saying that Chris is powerful enough to move both the sun and the moon simultaneously?" Luna asked as she trotted inside.

"At least," Twilight answered. "He hasn't hit the final surge yet."

Luna was concerned, to say the least. "I hope nopony is hurt when he does get to the final one."

"Me too," Twilight agreed.

"Achoo!" Pop.

Twilight's eyes widened as she stared at Luna's brand new, long, bushy grey beard. By the way Luna was staring at her she could only guess that she was now sporting a beard just like it. For a moment neither of them dared to say anything. Then, unable to hold it in, they both bust into peals of laughter, pointing at each other's equally ridiculous beards.

"That look actually kind of suits you," Twilight choked.

"It does feel majestic and wise," Luna gasped, stroking her beard for effect, before collapsing from laughter. More laughter drifted from upstairs, letting them know that they weren't the only ones affected by Chris's wild spell. Before long, though, the beards evaporated into white smoke. The two Princesses managed to get their laughter under control and trotted up the stairs.

"Oh Princess Luna," Rarity said with a bow. "It's an honour." The other ponies all followed her suit, bowing respectfully.

"Thank you Rarity," Luna said. "How is Chris?"

As if in answer to her question there was a small, whimpering moan from the bed. Chris had curled up into a ball under the covers, cradling his head in his hands.

"Oh, are you ok?" Fluttershy asked, making to walk over to him. She found her way blocked, however, by Princess Luna's wing.

"Everypony needs to back away," She commanded. "He's about to have his final magic surge. With his magical ability it could be dangerous to be near him."

The ponies all obediently backed up against the wall. While most of them weren't aware of it, Luna, Twilight and Rarity could feel the overwhelming waves of magic boiling off Chris. Tiny arks of electricity jumped over his body.

"Ah…"

His skin started to glow a radiant, sky blue.

"Ah…"

A powerful gust ran suddenly started blowing.

"ACHOO!"

There was a blinding flash of white and a deafening BOOM. And then it was over. Chris rubbed his eyes and propped himself up in the bed, able to think clearly again. His sinuses were clear, his head was ache-free and he'd stopped shivering. The room was intact too, so that was a plus.

"So… What happened?" Rainbow asked.

"No clue," Chris said, "but I feel a whole lot better now."

There was a sudden groaning sound from overhead. Looking up, he noticed that the space above his bed looked like it was rippling and twisting. There was another groan, a pop and the ripples vanished, replaced with a small rectangular object that fell neatly into Chris's lap. The ponies were all silent as they stared at the object.

"Well that was underwhelming," Twilight said.

Chris, however, was staring in amazement at the very familiar Samsung Galaxy Express lying in his lap. "It can't be," he said as he picked it up. Pressing the power button he was confronted with a very familiar lock screen.

"This is my phone," he said.

'What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I mean this is my phone. From my world. That's what that last spell did." There was another groan, louder than the first. "And I don't think it's quite finished," Chris muttered as he cautiously slid out of his bed. There was another loud groan and a pop and another flat, rectangular object landed on the bed. This one was much bigger than the first. "Laptop," Chris said. The next groan was far more drawn out, followed by multiple pops. "wireless mouse, Xbox 360, all four controllers, every game I own," Chris listed in a slightly stunned manner as each item dropped onto his bed, "lots of wires, my external hard drive, the CD player for my laptop and think that was every movie I own."

"It appears that this spell is pulling everything that is yours from your old world into this one," Luna said.

There was another groan, this one more of a roar. "Everything?" Chris said apprehensively. "Oh shoot."

"What?"

A second roar. "I own a lot of books."

BANG! All the items on the bed were suddenly buried under a small avalanche of books. Many of them bounced off the bed and sprawled on the floor.

"I think that's everything," Chris said eventually. As if only to mock him there was a tiny groan followed by a quick pop as a pair of earphones dropped onto Chris pile of stuff. Chris sighed. "I'm going to go have a shower," he decided. "Don't touch my stuff while I'm gone."

"What?" Twilight cried, dismayed at not being able to have a look through all these new books.

"Surely you do not expect us to just sit here and wait for you?" Luna asked diplomatically.

Chris hesitated. "Alright," he relented, "but try not to break anything, ok?"

With that he left the room, leaving seven ponies looking at the pile on the bed with varying degrees of curiosity.

* * *

**Well that's another chapter down. Let's hope the ponies don't break any of Chris's stuff. Go ahead and favourite, follow or review if you're enjoying the story. **

**On another note if you guys out there have any ideas for a chapter you'd like to see, or if you'd like to have your OC do a cameo appearance, feel free to PM me. Bear in mind though that not all ideas or OCs may get used. And try to keep them PG. Think of the children.**


	13. Chapter 13: What Do It Do?

**Well hello there. How have you been? Oh I'm very good, thank you for asking. Have you been working out? It definitely shows.**

**Anyway, here is chapter 13, in which Twilight reads a book, Rainbow Dash gets impatient and Luna does her royal duty. Read on!**

* * *

"Alright ponies," Rainbow cried as she swooped up to the ceiling. "Let's see what we got here."

"Hold up Dash," Applejack said, bringing Rainbow's dive to a screeching halt just above the bed. "Remember what Chris said. We gotta be careful with this stuff."

"Come on, I'm always careful."

There was silence. Applejack raised an eyebrow. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled, slowly hovering down to the bed and gently sifting through the pile. "What the hay is this?" she asked as she pulled out a large white plastic box. One side was covered in slots of various sizes while the other had a thin silver strip and a large circle on it.

"I think it's one of those 'video game consoles' that Chris told me about," said Twilight. "It definitely matches the description he gave me. What did he call it again?"

"Xbox 360?" Rainbow supplied.

"Yes that was it. How did you know that?"

"It has it written on the front," Rainbow pointed out. "So how does this work?"

"Yeah, how does it work?" Pinkie Pie pried. "You said something about games and I love games. Oh, I hope it's got pin the tail on the pony!"

"It's not that sort of game Pinkie," Twilight explained. "From what I understand it works sort of like a movie, except you can control what happens to some extent."

"Really? That sounds so cool!" Rainbow said enthusiastically. "How does it work? I want to have a go at this."

"It doesn't work by itself," Twilight said patiently. "You have to plug it into a TV first and you also need games for it."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go plug this thing in and give it a try!"

"Don't you think we should wait for Chris," Rarity asked pointedly. "These are his things after all and none of us have the slightest clue as to how that Xbox contraption works. You may well end up damaging it."

Rainbow looked down at the hunk of plastic in her hooves and sighed, regretfully accepting that her friends were right. "Oh alright then," she said as she put the Xbox back down on the bed.

"Oh don't be so glum Rainbow Dash," Rarity encouraged. "I'm sure if you ask Chris nicely he'll let you have a go."

"Yeah I suppose you're-"

"EEP!"

The ponies all started at the sharp squeal from Fluttershy. A small pile of books sat next to her and she was cringing away from another one that was lying, cover down, on the floor.

"What is it Fluttershy?" asked Luna who was closest.

"Oh, I was just picking up some of the books on the floor so they wouldn't get stepped on and the picture on the front of that one startled me," Fluttershy squeaked, pointing a trembling hoof at the book on the floor.

Curious, Luna picked up the book with her magic. "Oh my," she said upon seeing the cover.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

Luna turned the book so the others could see the cover. Most of it was taken up by a shoulders-up view of what must have been a human skeleton. A wide brimmed fedora was pulled low over its empty eye sockets and a coat, tie and scarf concealed anything other than the skull, ginning out at them. It was raising a gloved hand, fire flickering around its fingers. Across the top, emblazoned in stylised letters, were the words 'Skulduggery Pleasant" and above them 'DEREK LANDY'. The bottom of the picture was covered in splotchy white fog with four silhouettes in it, underneath which was written 'AND HE'S THE GOOD GUY'.

"What a ghastly looking book," Rarity said scornfully. "Why would anypony want to read a story filled with dusty old skeletons?"

"Never judge a book by its cover Rarity," Twilight chided, taking the book from Luna and turning it over. The blurb on the back was short but interesting. Curious Twilight opened the book and read the first line.

'Gordon Edgley's death came as a shock to everyone – not least himself.'

"I think we've lost her," Rainbow said as Twilight sat down in the corner with her nose buried in the book.

"What do y'all reckon this do-hicky is?" Applejack asked from by the bed. In her hooves was a large, flat, silver-grey plastic rectangle. On the top was written SAMSUNG in stylised silver letters.

"I believe Chris called it a laptop when it fell onto the bed," Luna said. "As to its function, I'm afraid I cannot say."

"I think it opens up," Rarity said, noticing a hinge on the back. "If you'll allow me to have a look."

Applejack shrugged and the laptop levitated from her hooves, floating in front of Rarity. With some careful manipulation it swung open, rather like a large plastic book. On the bottom flap were a number of small buttons covered in letters, numbers, symbols and other things the ponies couldn't understand. Below the buttons was a strange grey rectangle. The top flap was apparently a screen which light up as soon as the laptop was opened. A wide array of colours streaked across the screen, the time and date displayed in large font in the corner.

"Oo," everypony went.

"How'd ya think it works?" Applejack asked.

"Obviously you press the buttons," Pinkie lectured. Before anypony could stop her, she leant forward and pressed one of the buttons with a small tchick noise. Instantly the screen changed, becoming stark blue. In the middle there was a picture of Chris, as well as his name and a small white bar with 'password' written in grey text inside it. For a while the ponies simply stared at the screen.

""What's it mean, password?" Applejack asked.

"Evidently we shall be unable to proceed any further without authorisation," Luna said. "This is clearly a personal item. We should leave it be"

"What do you think his password is?" Rainbow asked, clearly not hearing Luna's warning.

"The Princess is right Rainbow Dash," Rarity scolded. "We should not be poking around Chris's personal belongings." With that she shut the laptop with a satisfying snap.

"Fine," Rainbow sighed.

"Hey look at this," Pinkie cried, pulling her head out of the pile. In her hooves was a small, black box. It was quite shallow and very plain, it's only distinguishing mark was the word 'Seagate' written in one of the corners. "What do you think it is?"

While the others attempted to fathom the purpose of the mysterious black box, Rainbow drifted up to the ceiling. All this cool stuff and she wasn't allowed to touch any of it, she moped. Then she spied another small rectangular object sitting on the bedside table. She recognised it as the first one that had appeared. What had Chris called it? A fone, or something like that. She grinned cheekily and made sure no one was watching before floating down and grabbing it off the table. Zipping back up to the ceiling she giggled gleefully, turning the small device over in her hooves. The first thing she noticed was the black screen that took up most of one side. A large oval button sat right below it, which Rainbow pushed. The screen lit up with a picture of rippling water. Up the top was the time and down the bottom was written 'Swipe screen to unlock'. Swipe screen, Rainbow thought. What does that mean? Experimentally, she lightly placed the very tip of her hoof on the screen, causing a circle to appear under it. Getting the gist of the device she quickly swiped her hoof the side. The screen changed instantly, a large number pad appearing right in the middle. Another password, Rainbow realised. Carefully, she tapped the number one on the screen. A small white dot appeared above the number pad. Rainbow scratched her chin and tapped a few more number's at random, then hit the 'ok' button. The dots disappeared and a small message took their place, saying 'try again'. Rainbow Dash took that as a challenge and tapped in some different numbers, hitting ok confidently. 'Try again' the device teased. Third time lucky, Rainbow thought as she tapped some more numbers and hit ok. 'Try again'.

"Oh come on!" Rainbow cried in frustration.

"What are you doin' Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Rainbow said quickly, hiding the device behind her back. "I'm… just bored is all. How long does it take to have a shower?"

"I wasn't that long," Chris said as he walked into the room. He was dressed in a white shirt with an intricate black design on the front and a pair of blue jeans.

"Oh goody, you're back!" Pinkie cheered, zooming over to him with the black box balanced on her head. "What's this thing do? Is it super cool? Does it make pretty lights?"

"That," Chris said patiently, "is an external hard drive. It's like a second memory for my laptop," he elaborated, seeing the ponies' confused faces.

"Y'mean this thing," Applejack asked, pointing the machine in question.

"That's the one. Rainbow Dash, give me my phone right now!" Chris said, suddenly stern. Rainbow started and hung her head, caught out.

"Sorry, here you go," she said, flying down and putting the phone in Chris's outstretched hand. "I couldn't get the password anyway."

"You managed to use it without breaking the screen though," Chris said as he checked the phone for scratches. "That's quite impressive with hooves."

"Thanks. Oh, also," Rainbow said, remembering the Xbox. She quickly zipped over to the bed, grabbed the Xbox and zipped back over to Chris, pushing the machine into his face. "Could you set this up? Please, please, please, please, please?" she begged.

Chris couldn't help but snigger at her enthusiasm. "Maybe a bit later." Rainbow groaned in exasperation and put the Xbox back on the bed. "Where's Twilight? I wanted to ask her something."

"Over here," Twilight called without looking up from the book.

"Ah Skulduggery Pleasant," Chris said, seeing the title. "One of my favourite book series of all time. Are you enjoying it?"

"So far, yes," Twilight answered. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Oh, yes. I wanted to ask about the whole magic thing? What are we going to do now that I can bend reality to my whim?"

Twilight marked her page and closed the book, thinking hard. "Well, you'll need to wait a few days for your magic to recharge first. After that I guess we'll need to find you a teacher."

"Why don't you do it Twilight?" Rarity suggested. "I can't think of anyone more suited to teaching magic than you."

"Me?" Twilight said, surprised by the sudden suggestion. "I don't know."

"I believe that you would be perfect, and I'm sure my sister would agree," Luna encouraged.

"There's no one I'd rather have teach me," Chris added.

"Well," Twilight said slowly. "Alright then. We'll start with your first lesson in a few days. There are some books you should read first but we can get to that later."

"Awesome."

"Hey Chris, what are these?" Pinkie called. Next to her was a tall pile of plastic cases.

"Those are movies and games for the Xbox so would you please be careful with them?" Chris pleaded, concerned by how much the pile was teetering.

"Those are the games?" Rainbow cried, zooming up to the pile and grabbing the topmost case. "Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh," she squealed. "How can you expect me to wait to play something that looks this awesome?" She turned the case around and Chris saw that, out of all the games he owned, she had managed to pick Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. What were the odds?

"Come on, please?" Rainbow said, drawing out the please. Chris's resolve wavered and finally broke.

"Oh fine then," he sighed. Rainbow cheered and did a back flip in the air. "Just give me a second to find the right wires. Where do you keep your TV Twilight?"

"It's downstairs, just next to the lab."

"Excellent," Chris said as he pulled several grey wires from the pile on the bed. "Do the rest of you want to come?" Everypony nodded, except for Luna.

"I would dearly love to," she assured Chris. "But I should return to Canterlot and inform my sister of what happened."

"I understand," Chris said. "Although it would be a shame to leave without doing some research into human technology," he added slyly.

Luna caught on and grinned. "It would be a shame."

"You could almost say that it was a dereliction of royal duty. Rarity could you take these please," Chris passed the controllers to her.

"Of course," Rarity said, levitating the controllers from his grasp.

"Royal duty must come first," Luna said with a theatrical sigh. "I guess I have no choice but to stay and play some of these games of yours."

"Oh what a shame. Twilight would you be able to carry the games? They're the ones in the green cases." Twilight rolled her eyes at the exchange and levitated said cases off the bed. "Wonderful. Now," Chris tucked the Xbox under his arm, "let's go play some video games."

* * *

**Well that's finished. For some reason this chapter was a real pain in the backside to write. I just couldn't get it to sound right. But anyway, go ahead and hit the favourite or follow buttons. Hit both if you're feeling generous. And stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14: Video Games Ponies Play

"Now, let's see what I'm working with," Chris said as he poked his head behind Twilight's massive TV. Massive was definitely a good word for it. The screen size rivalled that of the widest wide-screens, but it was by no means a flat screen. Chris bent down, examining the plugs on the TV, and Twilight poked her head over his shoulder.

"You do know what you're doing, right?" Twilight asked nervously. "This thing was really expensive."

While Chris assured Twilight that he wasn't going to kill her TV, the other ponies plus Spike occupied themselves. Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike sat down in front of the TV, wondering what they were about to experience. Luna and Rarity were both holding a controller and looking at them, quite confused. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were flipping through Chris's large pile of games, trying to figure out which one to play first.

"Look at this one Dashie!"

"Awesome," Rainbow gasped, starring avidly at the game Pinkie held up. A human clad in a suit of green armour was standing with a sunset behind him, the title 'HALO 3' emblazoned above him. "Oh, but this one looks so cool too," she cried, holding up a game titled 'Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag'.

"How are we going to choose?" Pinkie wailed.

"Do you have any idea what these may be Rarity?"

"I'm afraid I don't your majesty."

"Please, just call me Luna. There's no need to be so formal in this setting."

"Oh, of course your – um, Luna."

"Twilight could you pass that wire?"

"This one?"

"No the other one. That's it."

"Have you almost got it?" Rainbow asked excitedly.

"Yep," Chris said as he started plugging in the wires. "So you'd all better start deciding what game to play first."

There was a sudden flurry of movement as the ponies converged on the game pile, their voices raised in an indecipherable babble. Chris sighed, amused, and went back to work. Before long the Xbox was all plugged in. The ponies still being distracted, Chris grabbed the remote, changed the TV to the proper channel and turned the Xbox on.

"I hope you've decided on something," he called.

"Hang on a minute," was the loud, simultaneous reply. Chris laughed and turned back to the TV, just as the profile select screen popped up. Chris grabbed up a controller and turned it on, before noticing that something was wrong. There were only two profiles available, the one his brother used and the one his sister had. His one had gone!

The ponies all jumped as Chris swore explosively. "Chris! Please control you language," Rarity reprimanded.

"Oh hush it Rarity," Chris snapped, leaving Rarity speechless. "I cannot believe he did that."

"Who did what?" Twilight asked.

"My brother deleted my profile."

"What do you mean, your profile?" Rainbow asked.

"It's how the Xbox records your progress and achievements in games."

"Why's that so important?" Applejack questioned.

Chris sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The profile isn't so important. I can get everything I had on it back. It's more the fact that he deleted it so quickly. Like he wasn't expecting, or didn't want me to come back," he finished quietly. The ponies were all silent. Once again, they were all struck by how little Chris's family cared for him. Twilight trotted over and wrapped her wing around him.

"I'm sorry Chris," she said.

Chris smiled sadly. "It doesn't matter," he decided. "They don't matter." He looked over his shoulder. "Sorry I snapped at you Rarity."

"It's quite alright dear," she assured him.

"Thanks. Now," he said, suddenly business-like. "I need to make a new profile and you lot need to pick a game to play. Let's go."

While the ponies and Spike whittled down the choices for the game, Chris quickly made his way through the profile creation process, finally recreating his old avatar that looked just like him. Well, mostly.

"Why does it have pointy ears?" Twilight asked.

"Because why not?" Chris said. Twilight rolled her eyes. "So have you decided on a game?"

"Yes, we eventually managed to settle on this one," Luna explained, lifting Halo 4 with her magic.

"That's a good choice. The single player story won't make a lot of sense for you but the multiplayer is always fun with friends. Let's pop it in and-'

"Hang on a second," Rainbow interrupted. "Shouldn't we all make one of those profile things as well?"

"Uh, well… I suppose," Chris said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oo, me first, me first!" Pinkie squealed.

"Alright then Pinkie."

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered as she bounded forward and took the controller from Chris's hands. For a moment she looked down at the device. Then, still smiling, she looked over at Chris and asked, "How does this thing work?"

Chris sighed. This could take a while.

* * *

Admittedly it didn't take all that long to introduce the others to the controllers. What took a lot longer was making eight profiles and customising eight different avatars. Chris lost track of the number of times he pointed out the Microsoft probably hadn't taken magical, talking, rainbow coloured ponies into account when adding options for hair colour. After nearly an hour and a half they were finished and everypony was happy with their avatar.

"Now that that's taken care of let's actually get on with the game," Chris sighed as he cracked open the case and popped out the game disc.

"What is that thing?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, it looks like a little silvery donut," Pinkie chirped, drooling slightly at the thought of donuts.

"What, this? It's a CD," Chris answered, only to be met with blank stares. "Oh that's right," he remembered, "you lot are only on VHS aren't you? Well a CD is sort of like that in function, but a lot more compact."

"Come on, just put it in already," Rainbow cried, holding a controller in her hooves and rearing to go. Chris rolled his eyes and put the CD in the disc tray, hitting the close button. There was a faint whirring sound from the machine, then the TV screen went dark.

"It didn't break, did it?" Twilight asked nervously. Chris didn't respond, confident the question would answer itself soon. Just then a large, silver number four surrounded by a broken circle faded soundlessly into view.

"Not broken," Chris decided. The logo faded into the blackness and for a few seconds nothing happened. Then the screen turned white as a blob of black ink whirled around and the words 'Microsoft Studios' faded in, the whole thing accompanied by a few piano chords. The ponies all 'oo'ed, eliciting another eye roll from Chris. The logo once again faded, this time quickly replaced by another. There was a strange, mechanical sound and several unrecognisable shapes shifted around, before disappearing and revealing the name '343 Industries' in silver letters in the middle of the screen.

"What wonderful uses of contrast," Rarity admired, quickly shushed by an increasingly animated Rainbow Dash. The previous logo had also faded to black, leaving the ponies and Spike staring avidly at the screen. The screen that appeared made them all gasp, which made Chris sigh. A large grey planet, floating in the emptiness of space, with the sun just peeking around the horizon. Twisted pieces of metal floated past the camera. A haunting, melancholy melody poured forth from Twilight's massive speakers, drowning out all thoughts the ponies might have had.

"So. Awesome!" Rainbow squealed. Chris rolled his eyes again and hit the start button, quickly going into the multiplayer menu.

"So, who's going first?" he asked, snapping the ponies out of their reverie.

"ME!" Rainbow shouted, throwing her hoof into the air.

"Ah'll give it a go," Applejack said, already holding a controller.

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered, swiping another controller off the ground.

"I shall certainly endeavour to do my best," Rarity said, graciously accepting the last controller from Chris.

"Alright then. Now, Rarity seeing as you're player one-"

"Hang on I want to be player one," Rainbow interrupted. Chris sighed.

"Rarity would you mind switching controllers with Rainbow Dash?"

"Very well then. Here you are Rainbow."

"Thanks Rarity." Rarity just rolled her eyes.

"Now, Rainbow Dash, seeing as you're player one you'll want to set the match up. Now press that. Good, now you others need to press the start buttons and sign in. Alright, this is going well. Now Rainbow go into that one and select slayer. Scroll down. There it is. Select infinity slayer. Good. Now for the location scroll down until you find a map called Ragnarok. That's always a good on to start with. Yep that's the one. We just have to let it load for a bit… ok, now just hit the great big 'start game' button. And away we go," Chris finished as he sat down on a cushion on the floor.

There was a short countdown, accompanied by a couple of beeps and the screen faded to black. One short loading screen later the game began with the screen split into four. "Infinity slayer," a deep voice rumbled. "Eliminate the enemy team."

"So... what do we do now?" Rainbow asked, staring blankly at the screen.

"I don't know, figure it out yourself," Chris said as he reclined on his cushion.

All four ponies looked down at the controllers in confusion. Rainbow Dash cautiously pushed the left analogue stick forward, prompting her character to move. Feeling confident, she pushed the right one forward causing her camera to suddenly zoom skyward. Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, had found the jump button and was now jumping happily around the battlefield. Then Rarity's character made a violent throwing motion, hurling something onto the ground just in front of her. Curious, she moved her character forward to inspect the projectile, when it exploded with a loud BOOM, sending her character flying. The ponies all stared at Rarity's screen, mouths agape.

"What was that?!" Rarity asked after her character had stopped tumbling along the ground.

"That was a grenade," Chris said. "I recommend staying away from them."

"How'd ya do that there Rarity?" Applejack asked.

"The left trigger button on the back," Rarity said, showing the others on her controller.

_I wonder what the right trigger does then_, Applejack thought as she pulled it. The room was filled with the sound of assault rifle fire as Applejack's gun started discharging. The abrupt noise and flashes of light were enough to elicit a squeak of fright from Fluttershy and a small jump from everyone else bar Chris.

"Now what was that?!" Rarity asked again.

"I explained before," Chris said patiently. "The aim of this game is to eliminate all of your opponents. Those weapons are your primary means of doing so. You can carry two at a time and can switch between them with the yellow button. Yeah that's the one. Also you see that little crosshair in the middle of your screens? Those tell you where you're aiming. All you have to do is point and pull the trigger."

Well that sounds easy, Rainbow thought. Just then she noticed something bouncing towards her. She quickly recognised it as Pinkie's character, still jumping merrily around the map. Carefully centring her crosshair over Pinkie, she pulled the trigger, unleashing a spray of bullets in Pinkie's general direction. While most of them missed some did manage to find their mark and everypony watched as Pinkie's shield dropped while she continued to jump around, looking completely oblivious. Then there was no more shield and after a few more hits Pinkie's character finally hit the dirt.

"Oh yeah," Rainbow cried, clearly ecstatic. "Now we're getting to the fun bit."

However, for the next few minutes nothing much really happened. The four ponies all seemed to be walking in large circles, never encountering each other. Pinkie Pie spent most of that time launching herself out of the gravity cannons in the towers, each time with a high pitched "wee!" Rarity took several moments to admire the sleek shapes and contours of the towers each time she passed them, making Chris wonder how she hadn't encountered Pinkie yet. Applejack and Rainbow Dash somehow always ended up on opposite sides of the map while trying to find each other. The Rainbow Dash discovered how to get in a banshee.

"Hold 'X'" she muttered, just barely able to read the tiny writing at the bottom of her quarter of the screen. Holding down the x button, she was surprised when her camera zoomed back, showing her character clambering inside the big, purple, bird-shaped thing. With a low moaning sound the banshee started moving, hovering just above the ground. After a bit of experimentation with the analogue sticks she was able to get the banshee off the ground and soaring through the sky. "Oh yeah! Rainbow Dash is back in the sky and I am so winning this thing!"

After that it was complete carnage. With Rainbow Dash in her banshee the other ponies could barely touch her. Whenever one of the small, red nametags popped up on her screen she would go into a dive, showering her opponents in a deadly hail of blue energy, occasionally finishing them off by running them over. The first time this happened Rainbow Dash collapsed in a fit of laughter, allowing Applejack enough time to get in a couple of hits on the banshee before Rainbow recovered and powered away. There was also the memorable time that Pinkie had launched herself from a gravity cannon, only to have Rainbow's fearsome banshee ram into her mid-air. Applejack and Rarity both managed to score some kills, but by the time the match finished Rainbow had the highest score by far. Applejack came in second with Rarity as a close third. Pinkie Pie was dead last, not having scored a single kill. Not that she seemed to mind. She'd spent most of the match completely oblivious to the battle, instead opting to jump around like a maniac, throwing grenades all over the place when she found them.

"I win by a landslide," Rainbow announced triumphantly.

"Don't you go getting a big head now," Applejack warned.

"I must say that was rather enjoyable. If a little uncouth," Rarity said.

"More than a little," Rainbow argued. "Come on let's have another match."

"Why don't you let the others go first Rainbow?" Chris said.

"… Fine," Rainbow grumbled, holding out her controller to Twilight, who took it with a smile and an eye roll. Applejack handed hers to Luna and Rarity passed hers to Spike. Fluttershy, however, seemed rather reluctant take Pinkie's.

"Oh, um, if it's alright with you Pinkie, I might sit this one out," she said quietly. "It looks a little… violent."

"Oh come on Fluttershy," Rainbow groaned. "You've gotta give it at least one go."

"Rainbow Dash, it's Fluttershy's choice," Chris said. "If she doesn't want to play then we shouldn't force her."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rainbow decided, looking put out. "Sorry Fluttershy."

"Oh, that's ok Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy smiled, relieved that she didn't have to play the game. "Besides, this means that you can have another turn if you want."

Rainbow instantly brightened. "Hey, you're right! Can I have another go Chris?"

Chris shrugged. "If it's alright with everyone else."

Rainbow instantly turned to the others, giving them her best puppy dog eyes. There were several eye rolls but they all agreed to let Rainbow take up the extra controller. With a cheer and a back flip, Rainbow grabbed up the controller and seated herself in front of the TV. A few minutes of profile switching later they were ready to go and Rainbow excitedly pushed the start button.

"Infinity slayer," the voice announced. "Eliminate the enemy team."

This match started up much quicker than the last one. Twilight, Luna and Spike had all been watching and making note of the controls, allowing them to get off to a much quicker start, with Luna scoring the first kill.

"Huzzah!" she cried, clearly enjoying herself.

"Oh, I was this close," Twilight lamented, watching her character ragdoll across the ground.

"Hey Chris, what's this thing?" Spike asked as his character ran up to a hulking suit of armour.

"That is a Mantis Mech. It's sort of like a robot that you can drive."

"Cool," Spike said as his character clambered into it. The robot suddenly sprang to life, its legs uncurling and its arms pointing straight ahead.

"It's armed with rockets and a machine gun," Chris continued.

"Well let's see how good it is against my banshee," Rainbow cried as said vehicle took to the sky with its trademark howling moan. Quickly heading to the other end of the map, Rainbow was suddenly met with a barrage of fire from Spike's machine gun. She responded in kind with a hail of plasma bolts. Long dark scratches appeared along the hull of her ship as she drew closer. The shield on Spike's Mantis failed. The banshee's wings broke off. And then the whole thing exploded in a purple and blue conflagration, sending Rainbow's character hurtling to the ground, very much not alive.

"Oh yeah," Spike cheered, while Rainbow sat there with her mouth hanging open.

"Ah'd say that there Mantis is pretty darn good against a banshee," Applejack laughed. Rainbow shook herself out of her stupor as her character respawned.

"Oh yeah? Well just you wait. I'm gonna take that robot thingy down," Rainbow promised.

Despite her confident words Spike's Mantis proved to be one tough nut to crack. Tramping around the battlefield in his formidable mech Spike was racking up kills. It was a little worrying, actually, seeing the gleeful look on his face as he stomped, perforated and blasted the others into oblivion. But even with Spike on the loose, Rainbow was still able to nab quite a few kills. She even managed to call in ordinance, and spent a good minute zipping about the battlefield with a speed boost, dealing out bullet laden death left and right. Luna wasn't far behind, using any weapon she could find to great effect. Her favourite so far had been the railgun with its powerful, explosives shots. Twilight was coming last, though not by much. She'd picked up a sniper rifle early on and had pulled off some spectacular no-scope shots (Chris had neglected to tell them how to zoom). But Spike was undeniably the king of the battlefield, a force of heavy armoured destruction. That is, until Luna discovered the Spartan Laser.

"I wonder what this one does," she asked herself as she switched her, now empty, shotgun for the large cannon-like object she'd found at the top of the hill. She gave the right trigger a quick tap and was confused when the weapon did nothing but hum briefly. On a hunch she held down the trigger and was rewarded by the humming growing louder as a bar around her reticule started filling up. A charging weapon, she thought gleefully as she released the trigger, looking around for a target. Across the battlefield Spike's Mantis was stomping along, occasionally firing rockets. With a grin Luna took careful aim and held down the trigger. The weapon started to hum, a thin red light coming from its muzzle. The humming grew in intensity until, with a loud BOOSH, the weapon suddenly emitted a wide beam of bright red energy. Spike gave a small yelp of shock as his shield was suddenly drained and fire started billowing from his mech. With a delighted smile Luna charged up a second shot. One BOOSH and a red beam of energy later Spike's mighty Mantis mech was a merely a mess of mangled metal.

"HUZZAH!" Luna cried triumphantly, raising a hoof in the air. Her delight was short lived, however, as Rainbow Dash promptly ran her over with a ghost, which was officially her second favourite vehicle.

"Sorry Luna," Rainbow Dash sniggered. "But that's not a weapon I want pointed at my banshee." And with that Rainbow Dash reclaimed the skies, once again becoming an airborne fiend of plasma spitting death. She kept a close eye on the Mantis Mechs though, and was sure to shoot down anyone who got too close to them. By the end of the match Rainbow had once again reclaimed her number one spot, though this time there was less of a gap between her and the others. Luna came in second with Spike's mechanised rampage pushing him into third place. Twilight was in fourth place, a fact she didn't seem to mind. She'd had fun after all.

"Oh yeah! First again!" Rainbow cheered.

"A splendid match, Rainbow Dash," Luna beamed.

"That was awesome," Spike agreed.

"You were pretty good Rainbow," Twilight complimented.

"Pretty good? I was awesome. I got first two times in a row. Who's the greatest? I'm the greatest!"

"The greatest, huh?" Chris asked. "How about you play me then?" While his voice was friendly the others noticed a kind of wicked cunning in his smirk. Whatever trepidation Rainbow may have had, however, was buried under layers of hubris.

"You're on," she challenged.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Because I'm just that mean. Alright so it's not that much of a cliffhanger but so what! I'm gonna call it what I like.**

**On a side note this is the longest chapter I've written yet. Well done me.**


	15. Chapter 15: A Lesson in Limitations

"Infinity slayer. Eliminate the enemy team."

Oh yeah, Rainbow thought as she was dropped into the map. She had spawned right next to one of the towers and veered straight for the closest banshee, intent on taking the first kill. Chris had spawned on the other end of the map and after quickly swapping his assault rifle for a sniper he jumped onto a ghost and took off. Rainbow closed in from the air, readying her plasma cannons. Just as she started firing though, Chris hit the boost and rocketed underneath the banshee, speeding towards the towering wall along one side of the map. Rainbow growled, annoyed by the tactic, and took a large turn around the tower. This gave Chris the time he needed to jump off the ghost and grab a rocket launcher. He levelled the weapon at the incoming ship and everypony gaped as the picture suddenly got bigger.

"What was that?" Rainbow cried, momentarily distracted.

"Oh, did I not mention you could zoom?" Chris asked innocently, still focusing on the game and the small white diamond hovering over Rainbow's banshee. "How silly of me."

"Whatever," Rainbow growled. Even if Chris could zoom it wouldn't help. She'd seen Luna use that weapon and the rockets were easy to avoid.

"Gotcha," Chris muttered as the diamond turned yellow. Chris quickly pulled the trigger twice sending a full payload of rockets soaring. Rainbow smirked, seeing the rockets coming and drifting gently to the side to avoid them. To her surprise the rockets followed the action, curving around and impacting directly on her beloved banshee, reducing it to airborne scrap metal in a blue and purple conflagration.

"The rockets lock on to banshees," Chris said in response to Rainbow's stunned expression. Quickly getting rid of the rocket launcher and picking his sniper rifle back up, he jumped back on his ghost and zoomed off. Rainbow shook herself from her stupor as her character respawned. Alright then, she thought. He may know a couple of tricks, but I can still win. This triumphant line of thought was brought to a swift halt as Chris sniped her from across the map, in the process demonstrating the sniper rifle's double zoom feature. Rainbow growled in annoyance as she waited for her character to respawn. As soon as she was back on the battle field she ran for the closest tower, intent on teaching Chris a lesson. Jumping into a banshee she hurtled skyward, scanning for the small red nametag. Her blood ran cold though, as she saw Chris hop nimbly into a waiting Mantis. Standing tall, the mechanical monolith levelled both arms at her ship and opened fire with both rockets and machine gun fire. Rainbow's poor banshee barely lasted five seconds before exploded, sending her character falling to her doom. As soon as the ship was no more Chris jumped out of the Mantis and continued on his merry way.

The rest of the match continued in much the same way, with Rainbow Dash dying again and again, in a wide variety of ways, many of which were unexpected. Rainbow Dash sniggered when Chris came at her with a small silver pistol. Six head shots later Chris had another kill in his name and revealed that the pistol was one of the most overpowered pistols in gaming. Chris then demonstrated the use of the banshee bomb, much to Rainbow's dismay as she watched yet another banshee fall to the ground in pieces. A few kills later Chris gained ordinance, which he used to call forth a small gun with pink crystals sticking out the top. Rainbow said it looked wimpy. It didn't look so wimpy when the glowing pink projectiles tracked her movements and buried into her character before exploding in a pink flash. When Rainbow tried to use a Mantis, Chris merely utilised Luna's technique, bombarding her from afar with the gun he referred to as a 'Splaser'. Rainbow quickly found her bravado turning to despair as Chris thoroughly pulverised her. Rail gun, shotgun, incinerator cannon, plasma grenades, the SAW. Each of them tools for her utter annihilation. The others could only watch in awe at Chris's reign of terror. By the time the game ended Rainbow hadn't managed to score a single kill.

"I… lost," she lamented, starring with dead eyes at the dismal zero.

"Indeed. Though, to be entirely fair to you, you never stood a chance in the first place," Chris said in a friendly tone. Rainbow couldn't even dredge up a response other than more gloom. Chris smiled, his voice becoming softer and kinder. "This wasn't about embarrassing you or making you feel bad Rainbow. It was about teaching you something."

"What?" Rainbow asked sulkily.

"That there are always going to be ponies who are better than you at some things. It pays to be mindful of your own limitations and not to make boasts that you can't back up."

Rainbow grinned ruefully as she thought back to her comments about her greatness. "I guess I did sorta let my ego get the best of me," she admitted. "It was stupid of me to say that I was the best after only a few tries."

Chris shrugged. "You were excited and full of winner's high spirits. It happens to everyone. Now who want's the next turn?"

"I think I'll sit this one out," Rainbow decided, putting her controller down. "That last one really took it out of me."

Chris laughed as he passed his controller to Luna. Then the faint sound of knocking drifted down through the ceiling. "You guys keep playing. I'll go get it," Chris offered. None of the ponies argued, all too much engaged in the game. Chris shook his head as he left the room. _I hope there's no adverse effects from this,_ he thought. I'll have to make sure that Spike knows not to build any giant mech suits. The thought made him smile as he opened the door to find Princess Celestia standing there looking worried.

"Oh, hello Chris," She said. "I sent Luna her earlier in search of a strange source of magic and she has not contacted me since. I was worried so I came here as soon as I could."

"Oh you don't need to worry about that your majesty," Chris reassured her. "The short version is that I've developed insanely strong magic powers and had the unicorn flu. That's what caused all the magic surges. The last surge caused all of my belongings from my old world to be brought here. With me so far?" Celestia nodded, looking a little lost. "One of the things that I brought through was a video game console and Rainbow Dash asked me to plug it in. I convinced Luna to stay and play with us." Chris decide not to mention how easy Luna had been to convince.

"I… see," Celestia said slowly, admittedly taking the large amount of information rather well. "So… where is Luna now?"

"She's just downstairs with the others. I'll take you to her. Maybe you could have a go on Halo too."

* * *

"I should have seen this coming," Chris said quietly.

"It's not your fault," Twilight argued. "I don't think anypony could have predicted this."

"NO! The princess of the sun shall not be defeated!"

"Another bout sister?" Luna giggled.

"Yes! And this time I shall be the victor!"

Chris sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What have I done?" he asked himself.

* * *

**Aaaaand... that's it. Bit of a short chapter, it's more of a book end to the longer chapter last time. Anyway that's another little episode done. Chris now has magic, the ponies have been introduced to the wonder of video games and the sun and moon may never rise over Equestria again, thanks to said video games. Whoopsie!**

**Go ahead and favourite and follow the story. And also it would be incredibly awesome if you guys out there would let me know if you spot any spelling or grammar mistakes, no matter how small. Or even if you think there's a bit that could be worded better. I want to make this the best story it can be.**

**Until next time. Later!**


	16. Chapter 16: Chris's Personal Trainer

One of the good things about having a friend on the weather patrol is that you always know the best day for a picnic. The girls had been planning this little picnic by the lake for a week and Twilight had invited Chris to come along with them. The sun was high and bright above them as Chris reclined on the blanket, reading a book and munching on a bag of cashews. He'd woken up that morning feeling weak and dizzy. It hadn't taken him and Twilight long to realise he was starting to suffer from an iron deficiency. One quick trip to the markets and the library was stocked with plenty of high iron vegetables and nuts. The book was one Twilight had picked out for him, titled A Beginner's Guide to Practical Magic. It had been one of the first books she'd studied with and had recommended Chris read it through before they began their lessons. She'd also recommended not to try any magic by himself, just in case he ended up destroying Ponyville. A legitimate concern.

The others were all enjoying each other's company. Twilight and Rarity were sipping tea and chatting animatedly about a princess summit she would be attending in a few weeks. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were in the lake, Rainbow relaxing on an inflatable raft while Pinkie paddled her around. Applejack was asking for Fluttershy's help with a beaver problem she was having on the farm.

"Come on girls, the water's great," Pinkie called.

"I simply can't Pinkie," Rarity protested. "My makeup would get absolutely ruined."

"I have to read this book. Teacher's orders," Chris called.

"I'm not a very strong swimmer," Twilight said with a bashful grin.

"Well, Ah'm comin' in," Applejack decided. "You coming Fluttershy?"

"Oh, well, ok. Maybe just a little swim."

"Ok then. Cannonball!" Applejack yelled as she hurled herself into the lake, sending up a small plume of water. Fluttershy followed her in, albeit more sedately.

"Speaking of makeup," Rarity said, "I really should reapply. I think I can feel my mascara running."

"It looks fine to me," Twilight said as Rarity pulled her makeup pouch from her saddlebags.

"Oh but I never settle for looking fine dear," Rarity argued, fixing her makeup in minute ways. "I must always look fabulous. There, that's better. You know," she said, looking at Twilight critically, "I think you'd look rather nice with a little bit of makeup on."

"Oh, that's really not necessary Rarity."

"It won't be anything too much. Just a little bit of blush and some mascara. I just want to see the effect. Please?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. "Ok then. Just don't go overboard."

"Of course not my dear. Now just hold still." It took Rarity only a minute to complete Twilight's makeover, as slight as it was. "What do you think?" Rarity asked as she held up a small mirror. To be honest Twilight couldn't really see much difference. Her eyelashes looked maybe a little longer and her cheeks seemed to have a bit more colour though.

"I guess it looks nice. I can't really see much of a difference though."

"Oh, well if you'd like I could put on a little more…"

Twilight laughed, seeing where Rarity was going with this. "No thank you Rarity. I'm fine with this much." Rarity huffed good-naturedly and relented, before looking over at Chris.

"What about you Chris?" she asked cheekily. "Would you like some makeup?"

"Uh… no. That's a definite no."

"Oh come on. It'll be fun."

"I really don't think so."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'm sure you'll look lovely."

"Rarity I'm serious, keep away from me with those things."

"Just a little bit? Come on just stay still."

"No, Rarity stop it. Somepony help me!"

The others in the lake watched on as Chris sprinted away, closely pursued by Rarity and several levitating makeup implements. All of them laughed as Rarity chased him around the lake, all the while attempting to persuade Chris to let her give him a makeover. Pretty soon though they were both exhausted and collapsed back onto the picnic blanket, panting heavily.

"I hate you," Chris heaved, laying back with his eyes closed. Rarity laughed and put away her makeup utensils.

"I am sorry," she grinned. "I simply couldn't resist."

"That was hilarious," Rainbow chuckled as she hovered overhead. "The look on your face Chris. Priceless!"

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "Rarity, I think Rainbow Dash would like some makeup."

"I think you're right," Rarity said, already reaching for her bag.

"Eh heh," Rainbow chuckled nervously. "On second thought I guess I can kind of understand your position."

"Exactly. Now if you guys don't mind, I'm tired now and am going to have a nap." With that he lay back and closed his eyes. _Man he's already tired after a few laps around the lake,_ Rainbow thought. He should really get in shape. Rainbow then remembered her decision at Pinkie's party to be Chris's personal trainer. It was high time she followed through on that decision, she thought as she settled back into the inflatable raft, already coming up with the perfect training routine.

* * *

Chris was woken the next morning by a loud knocking on the front door of the library. He slowly opened his eyes and reached out for his phone. Half past five, he thought groggily. Too damn early. He could hear Twilight expressing the same sentiment as she trotted down the stairs. She can deal with it, Chris thought smugly. He could hear hooves again, coming back up the stairs. But this time there were more of them. And they were coming down the hall. The door to his room opened with a quiet creak and Twilight stuck her head in.

"Chris, Rainbow Dash is here to see you," she said drowsily.

"Tell her to come back at a reasonable hour," Chris mumbled.

"Come on Chris," Rainbow cried as she swooped into the room, unjustly energetic. "Today's your first day of training. You gotta be up nice and early."

For a while Chris didn't say anything. "What?" he said eventually.

"Remember how I said I'd be your personal trainer? Well I'm sticking to it. So get out of bed and let's start training!"

"I told you," Chris mumbled, "I don't want a personal trainer. Now go away. I'm trying to sleep."

"Not anymore," Rainbow said, reaching down and ripping the blankets off the bed. Chris just lay there with his arms crossed, undeterred. Rainbow frowned. "Don't make me get a raincloud and soak you," she threatened. Chris glared up at her.

"You wouldn't."

"She would," Twilight assured him. Chris glared at her and sighed in defeat.

"Fine then," he grumbled. "Get out so I can get changed."

Once Chris had changed into a pair of shorts, a light shirt and put on some running shoes, Rainbow virtually dragged him outside. Chris shivered a little at the chill morning air.

"Now," Rainbow said as she stretched herself out. "I thought we could warm up with a light jog around Ponyville." Chris groaned. "Oh come on it won't be that bad. Let's get going." With a flick of her tail she trotted away with Chris jogging dejectedly behind her.

* * *

"There. Now was that so bad?" Rainbow asked as she stopped outside the library. Chris stumbled up behind her, desperately gasping for air. Rainbow rolled her eyes. Y_ou'd think he'd just run a marathon,_ she thought to herself.

"Mornin' you two. What're you up to?"

"Hey Applejack," Rainbow greeted the orange pony. "We're just-"

"She's trying to kill me!" Chris gasped angrily. Applejack raised an eyebrow and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"I'm helping Chris get into shape," Rainbow explained. "We just went for a jog around Ponyville."

Applejack looked surprised. "All that way? Don't yah think that's a bit much to start off with?"

"I need to know how fit he is at the moment. I figure the best way to do that is to push him to his limits!"

"Ah don' know," Applejack said. "It don' seem very safe."

"Relax AJ, it'll be fine," Rainbow said airily before turning back to Chris. "Ok break's over," she ordered loudly. "Time for some push ups." Chris groaned in response. "Come on Chris, drop and give me as many as you can."

"Uh, Rainbow?" Applejack said quietly. "Yah might wanna try bein' more encouragin'."

"What do you mean? I'm plenty encouraging. Alright Chris let's see what you've got! Go! 1, 2, 3, 4. 5. 6. 7… 8… 9… 10-" Thump! "Ten push ups? Seriously? That's-" Rainbow caught sight of Applejack's frown. _Right,_ she thought, _encouraging._ "That's… not… so bad. But there's definitely room for improvement." Chris groaned into the ground. "Come on, let's move onto something else."

For the next hour Rainbow tested Chris on various physical activities, giving him a short break in between each one at Applejack's insistence. There were sit-ups, which he did terribly at, an agility test, which he was ok at, chin ups while hanging from a branch, which he only managed two, and a short game of tug-of-war between him and Rainbow Dash. He lost quickly.

"I definitely have my work cut out for me," Rainbow said to herself. Chris was having a break, drinking some orange juice that Twilight had brought out. "OK Chris break's over!" Chris sighed and put down his glass. "This'll be the last test. A hundred metre sprint!" Chris had mixed feelings. On one hand he was tired and sore and it was more running. On the other it was the last one, which made him happy. "You'll start here and run as fast as you can to Applejack down there," she pointed to Applejack standing a little bit down the road. "She'll be timing you. You ready?" she shouted down the road. Applejack waved back, signalling she was ready. "All right then. On your marks. Get set… GO!" Rainbow watched as Chris took off, sprinting as fast as he could. She wasn't expecting anything too spectacular, but he should get at least a decent time.

"You know we're going to have to organise some sort of schedule," Twilight said as she walked over. Rainbow looked at her curiously.

"Why?"

"Because using magic can be just as exhausting as physical activity. Once he starts learning magic we'll have to make sure that we aren't that we aren't wiping him out." Rainbow had to admit she had a point.

"We can worry about that later," she decided. "Let's go see what time Chris got."

As it turns out Chris's time was just over thirteen seconds. "Not bad," Rainbow said. "That's fairly average."

"So we're done now?" Chris panted.

"Yep, we're done for today. But next week the real training starts. So you'd better be up on time next time. Later!"

Chris groaned as he watched her fly off. "I going to have shower," he grumbled. "And then I'm going back to sleep."

* * *

**Hey there! This one came out real quick. I'm not sure why. Oh well.**

**Next time Chris'll be learning magic. And hopefully not destroying the town while he's at it. See you there.**


	17. Chapter 17: Magic 101

**Oh my, another chapter. It's weird how fast I've been. I just hope I'm not sacrificing quality.**

* * *

Chris sighed in relief as he snapped the book shut. _Finally finished,_ he thought. _Now I get to start learning magic. I wonder where Twilight's going to start. I hope we start soon._ Chris looked down at the book in his lap. "Maybe I could try a little something first. The book did say how to call on your magic…"

* * *

Twilight was just settling down to eat lunch when a very loud BOOM shook the library. "What was that?!" Spike yelped.

Twilight thought for a moment then slapped her hoof to her face. "I think I know. Come on." She lead the way to Chris's room and opened the door, stepping back to avoid the smoke billowing from within. Slowly the smoke cleared, revealing Chris sitting on his bed, covered in ash and looking very alarmed. Twilight sighed.

"What did I say about using magic without supervision?"

* * *

"At least nothing got damaged," Chris said. Despite being blown up he was in quite high spirits. The layer of ash had proved easy enough to remove and none of the books in his room had been singed.

"You still could have seriously hurt yourself. If I'm going to teach you magic then you need to have some restraint."

Chris looked suitably chastised. "Fair enough. Does that mean we can start lessons now?"

"You finished reading A Beginner's Guide to Practical Magic?"

"Yep, just now."

"Alright then. Just let me get my chalkboard."

Chris beamed with excitement as Twilight trotted away. She quickly returned and set the chalkboard down. "Now I assume, because of the explosion, that you've already tried to channel your magic?"

"Yes. It didn't go very well."

"I noticed. The most likely cause of the explosion is that you tried to channel too much magic too quickly and lost control. So the first thing you'll need to do is gain some more control over your magic."

"How do I do that?"

"Access your magic again and let it fill you up. Don't try to push it out of your body, just let it sit. Get familiar with how strong it is and try exerting some control over it to find out your limits."

"Ok then." Chris closed his eyes and focused. Reaching inside himself he quickly found and tapped into his magic. Energy raced through his body, making his limbs tingle. He could feel it as it swirled within him, ebbing and flowing. Gradually he became aware of a rhythm to the shifting tides of energy. He could feel how it reacted, how gentle prods from his consciousness would affect the stream and by extension, the world around him. He wondered at his own power as the magic swelled within him and he pushed it back down again. No exploding this time.

"Hi guys!"

BOOM.

Twilight slowly got back to her hooves, wobbling unsteadily. All she remembered was a high pitched yell and a flash of light. Chris was standing in the middle of the room, looking frazzled and once again covered in ash. Pinkie Pie was standing off to the side, also covered in ash and smiling like an idiot.

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight coughed. "What in the hay are you doing?"

"Well… we have way too many cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner and Mrs Cake decided we could have a free cupcake give-away. And I didn't want anypony to miss out on free cupcakes, cause if anypony missed out on free cupcakes then that wouldn't be fair. So I'm going around telling everypony about the free cupcake give-away at Sugarcube Corner today. By the way, there's a free cupcake give-away at Sugarcube Corner today. You wanna come?"

"Sorry Pinkie. I'm giving Chris his first magic lesson today."

Pinkie gasped, looking even more excited. "Oh my gosh, that's so super amazing! Can I stay and watch?"

Chris grimaced. Having the energetic pink pony around probably wouldn't help his concentration. "But… I thought you were telling everypony about the cupcake give-away," he said quickly.

"Oh, you're right," Pinkie said, looking torn. "Don't do anything fun. I'll be right back." Then she zoomed out the door.

Chris sighed and brushed off what ash he could. "I wish I wouldn't keep exploding."

"You were taken by surprise. It looked like you were doing well until Pinkie burst in."

"It felt like it too. I was really starting to get the hang of it."

"Let's keep trying. This time try to use a smaller amount of magic so we avoid another explosion."

"Good plan." Once again Chris closed his eyes and sank into his magic, allowing the energy to flow through him. With a bit of effort we was able to restrict the flow to a gentle trickle. There was less ebb and flow and the energy responded better to his thoughts.

"Alright Chris," Twilight said. "Now try to push the magic out of your body. Don't try to direct it, just let it flow where it wants to flow."

Chris breathed deeply and gathered the energy in his core before giving it a gentle mental push. Instantly the magic flowed down his arms and gathered in his hands. Keeping control of the magic, he opened his eyes and looked at his hands. A sky blue aura surrounded them, sparkling slightly.

"Well done Chris. Now let the magic go."

Chris nodded and released his control on his magic, watching as the aura faded. He glanced around, looking cautious, then grinned. "Nothing exploded," he said.

Twilight laughed. "We're not done yet. The next thing you're going to try is levitation."

* * *

Pinkie trotted down the road with a plate balanced carefully on her head. Upon the plate were a pair of cupcakes. "Chris and Twilight will be so happy that I got them a cupcake each," Pinkie said to herself as the library came into view. Humming happily to herself, she knocked on the door. Twilight opened it, looking surprised to see Pinkie.

"Hi again Twilight. I brought you and Chris a cupcake from the give-away." Pinkie looked upward at the crockery headwear.

"Oh, thanks Pinkie."

"And I finished telling everypony about the give-away. So now I can stay and watch Chris's magic lesson."

"Oh. Well… alright I guess. But you have to promise to be quiet."

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Twilight rolled her eyes and walked back into the library, followed by Pinkie. Chris was pointing his hand at a small cardboard box that was bobbing about in mid-air. The aura surrounding the box flickered on and off sporadically. He was staring at the box with intense concentration, trying to hold it steady and keep the magic stream stable.

"What's Chris doing?" Pinkie whispered.

"He's working on his levitation. It takes a bit of practice to hold an object steady."

There was a small fizzle as Chris's aura faded and the box dropped to the floor. Chris sighed and wiped some sweat from his brow. "You're doing really well Chris," Twilight said. "You managed to hold the box up for a lot longer that time."

"I still can't keep it steady though."

Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. "You've only been at it for fifteen minutes. I reckon with a few more hour's practice you'll have it down pat."

* * *

Chris smiled as Pinkie floated round the room, held up by his magic and giggling hysterically. She'd been begging for a ride for the last twenty minutes and Chris had finally relented. Twilight watched as Pinkie spun upside down, unsure whether to get Chris to stop or to ask for a go herself. Eventually her more logical side won out.

"Ok Pinkie, that's enough now."

"Aw, two more minutes Twi?" Pinkie begged.

"She's right Pinkie," Chris said, lowering her to the ground. He grinned over at Twilight while Pinkie moped. "I'm really getting the hang of this."

"Don't get cocky. You've still got a lot to learn."

"Stop bursting my bubble."

* * *

**Another short-ish one. A giant thanks to everyone who's review, favourited, followed or even just read this thing. It does my heart good to know that there are people out there just as strange as me. **


	18. Chapter 18: A Helping Hand

Chris sighed as he walked leisurely down the main road of Ponyville, looking for something to fill his Saturday with. Twilight had let him have the weekend off from magic lessons, as she had a number of books that she wanted to start reading. Chris had caught sight of the pile before he left the library, and was fairly sure that, in amongst the spell books, there were several of his Skulduggery Pleasant books and what looked like the Lord of the Rings series. Chris wished her luck.

"What to do, what to do?" Chris thought aloud. He could see the market just down the road. "Maybe I could do some shopping. Wait, I have no money." He thought for a moment more and an idea occurred to him. "Hey, I could try and get a job. It'd be good not to have to mooch off my friends. But where to start?" He wandered through the market, navigating his way through crowds of shoppers and looking for a place to start searching for a job. A flash of orange caught his eye and he grinned.

"Hey Applejack," he said as he made his way over to the orange farm pony, standing beside her apple cart.

"Howdy Chris. Watchu up to?"

"Not much. I have the weekend free cause Twilight's planning on doing a ridiculous amount of reading."

Applejack laughed. "Yep, that sounds like Twi'."

Chris laughed too. "Yeah. Actually I'm sort of looking for a job at the moment. I'd like to be able to start paying for myself sometime soon. You wouldn't happen to have anything available, would you?"

Applejack put a hoof to her chin as she thought. "Well, we could always use some help on the farm. That's mostly heavy labour work though and you're not… uh…"

"At the peak of physical fitness?" Chris supplied with a grin.

"Exactly. Sorry 'bout that."

Chris waved a hand airily. "That's fine. I just needed a place to start asking. Do you know if anyone else is hiring?"

"Hmm… I haven't really heard anythin'. I reckon' yer best bet's just to ask some folk if they need any help. There's bound to be somepony who could use a hand."

"Thanks, I'll do that. See you around."

"See ya. And good luck."

"Thanks," Chris called as he walked away into the crowd. "Where should I look now?" His train of thought was interrupted as a rainbow trail rocketed past above his head. Chris followed the trail and frowned quizzically as Rainbow Dash stopped next to a huge cloud that was floating just above a park. Even as he watched Rainbow dove head first into the cloud and disappeared. "What is that pony up to?" Chris said as walked over.

"Hey Rainbow. What's with the giant cloud?"

Rainbow popped out of the top of the cloud and alighted next to the human. "Hey Chris. It's a bit of an accident really. It happens sometimes when clouds clump together. They get too heavy and end up sitting on the ground. So I'm trying to break it up into smaller pieces so it'll float back up. It's hard work though. This cloud's pretty dense." The way she said the last part made Chris think she was trying to insult the cloud.

"Well, do you need any help?"

Rainbow gave him a funny look. "It would be nice, sure, but you need to be a pegasus to work with clouds."

"Good point. Maybe I could try something with magic though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well clouds are made of water vapour, right? And the more you heat water up, the less dense it gets. Twilight taught me a heating spell just the other day, I could use it to loosen the cloud up a little."

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Well… ok then. If it makes my job a bit easier, who am I to say no?"

Chris grinned. "Alright, here we go." He lifted a hand and stretched out with his magic, surrounding the cloud with his aura. Focusing on the idea of heat, he poured his magic into the cloud, feeling it sink into the molecules. Steam started rising from the cloud as Chris upped the flow of energy. Very slowly, the cloud started to lift away from the ground.

"Hey it's working," Rainbow said. She waited a few more moments until the cloud was well above the ground. "Ok that'll do. You can stop heating it now." Chris cut the flow of magic and lowered his hand. "I should be able to break it up a bit easier now. Thanks for that Chris."

"No problem."

"You know, having something like that spell could be really handy some days, especially when we have to get rid of thick cloud cover."

"Well I am available for employment. Just so you know."

Rainbow put a hoof to her chin, thinking through the logistics. "The problem would be getting you up in the air," she said. "You could use the hot air balloon I suppose, but that doesn't have enough manoeuvrability."

Chris shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It'd be too impractical anyway."

"Yeah you're right. Sorry about that. I hope you find a job though."

"Thanks. Good luck with cloud busting."

Rainbow waved as Chris walked off, before diving back into the cloud, which thankfully wasn't too hot.

"What else could I try?" Chris asked himself. "I could ask Twilight if I could help around the library. Hmm… Nah. With Owlowiscious and Spike she has all the help she needs. I could ask Rarity… but I'm not much of a fashion person. I'd probably go insane working in the Boutique. Hey, Sugarcube Corner," he said as the bakery came into view. "Maybe they'll have something available."

"Good morning Chris," Mrs Cake said as he walked in.

"Morning Mrs Cake. How's things?"

"Oh I'm good dearie. What are you after?"

"Actually I was wondering if you had a job available. I figure that I need to get a job soon so I can support myself."

"Oh, sorry dearie, but we don't really have anything. Pinkie Pie helps us out whenever we've got a big order to fill so we never really need any extra staff."

Chris sighed. "Oh well. Thanks anyway."

Just then Pinkie stuck her head out from the kitchen. "Hey, while you're here would you like to bake some cupcakes with me anyway? I could use a hand."

Chris shrugged. "May as well. Is that alright with you Mrs Cake?"

"Go ahead dearie. Just remember to clean up once you're done."

"Sure thing." Chris followed Pinkie into the kitchen, where a large number of ingredients were already sitting on the central counter.

"Alrighty then," Pinkie cheered. "It's time to get baking!" Then, quite spontaneously, she started to sing in time to her actions.

"All you have to do is take a cup of flour

Add it to the mix.

Now just take a little something sweet, not sour

A bit of salt, just a pinch.

Baking these treats is such a cinch

Add a teaspoon of vanilla.

Add a little more, and you count to four,

And you never get your fill of...

Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty!

Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty!

Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!"

Chris stared quizzically up at Pinkie, who was standing on her rear hooves on top of the counter. "What was that?" he asked.

"It's the cupcake song," Pinkie said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can't make cupcakes properly without it."

"Right… Would you mind hopping off the counter, I kind of need to use that."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

As Pinkie took her bowl of, now completed, cupcake batter and poured it into the tray, Chris pulled out a bowl of his own and gathered what he needed. As he poured in the flour he caught himself humming the tune to the cupcake song. Kinda catchy, he thought. Fortunately he was able to put together the batter without breaking into song. Pinkie, on the other hand, started singing every two minutes while she watched the cupcakes baking. Pretty soon Pinkie's cupcakes were done and Chris's were slid into the oven. While they waited Chris helped Pinkie make the icing. For a good five minutes they argued over the right colour before settling on blue and pink swirls.

"I think mine are done," Chris said as he levitated the tray out of the oven. The tops of the cupcakes were golden brown and they looked delightfully fluffy.

"Oh, those look great!"

"Thanks Pinkie. I'll let them cool for a little and then ice them. I'll clean up a bit while I wait."

A little while later the cupcakes were iced, the kitchen was clean and Pinkie was licking the icing bowl. "Those look wonderful dearie," Mrs Cake said as she walked in. "Thanks for helping Pinkie out."

"It's nothing Mrs Cake. I was happy help."

Mrs Cake smiled and reached into her apron. "Here Chris. This is for you." She placed a small pouch on the counter. "Ten bits for a job well done."

"Oh, you don't have to pay me," he started, but Mrs Cake cut him off.

"No no dearie. You earned it. Now go on. I'm sure you have other things to do today."

Chris relented and picked up the pouch with a grin. "Thanks Mrs Cake. See you Pinkie."

"Bye Chris."

* * *

Well that was fun, Chris thought as he exited the bakery. Plus I got a little bit of money. Still need a job though. Where should I look next? Just then he noticed a small shop on the corner across from him. The windows were filled with small gizmos and gadgets and the sign above the door was painted dark green with a pair of golden cogs on it. Chris drew closer and noticed a small paper sign in the window that read;

Help wanted

Inquire inside

Feeling hopeful and curious, Chris pushed open the door. A small bell tinkled loudly and a voice from the back of the shop called out, "Be there in a moment." Chris looked around at the shelves, examining the items on display. There were pocket watches, small toys and other devices Chris didn't recognise. Most of them looked like they ran on clockwork, which explained the design on the sign. He noticed, though, that there were just as many empty spaces on the shelves as there were pieces.

"Welcome to – oh. Hello."

Chris turned to the front counter as a brown earth pony walked through the door behind it. His mane was darker than his coat and spiked up in a messy sort of way. Chris could just make out an hourglass cutie mark on his flank. Strangely he was wearing a shirt collar and a green tie. He looked Chris up and down for a moment and smiled.

"You must be the human I've been hearing about," he said. He sounded slightly British.

"That's me. My name's Chris. I don't remember seeing you at Pinkie's welcome party."

"Nice to meet you Chris. Sorry I wasn't at the party, I was busy at the time. Anyway, welcome to Mechanical Marvels, the only clockwork shop in Ponyville. I'm the Doctor."

Chris frowned. "Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, well I'm looking for a job and I saw the sign in the window."

"Ah, of course. My shop's been getting more popular recently and I've been having trouble keeping everything stocked and filling out orders on time. So I decided to hire an assistant to help me. Now tell me, how are you with tools?"

"Very good," Chris said confidently.

"Hmm… we'll see. Come through to the back and I'll show you what you'll be working with."

The back room was fairly big, though the number of large machines made it quite cosy. "Now, some of these may be a bit unfamiliar to you," the Doctor said. "That one, for instance, is called-"

"A drill."

"Oh, um, yes. It's a drill."

* * *

Chris had a wide smile as he walked through the library door. "I'm back," he called. Twilight looked up from the book she was reading.

"You're back late, I was starting to get worried. Where have you been?"

"Getting a job," Chris said.

"Really? Where?"

"You know that shop, Mechanical Marvels?"

"The one on the corner of Apple Avenue?"

"That's the one. There was a help wanted sign in the window so I went in and asked about it. The Doctor let me-"

"Doctor who?"

"Apparently it's just the Doctor."

"How can his name be 'the Doctor'?"

"I don't know that's all he would tell me. Anyway the Doctor showed me how to make a basic clockwork toy and told me to have a go. Apparently he was impressed because he gave me the job as soon as I finished."

"Well done Chris. When do you start?"

"Monday. The Doctor gave me tomorrow off."

"Why?"

"Not sure. He said something about 'going travelling'. Anyway, what's for dinner?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. Males, she thought to herself. Always thinking about their stomachs.

* * *

**And another one bites the dust. Doing pretty well here, almost at twenty chapters.**

**Favourite, follow, review and keep an eye out for the next chapter. Later!**


	19. Chapter 19: Three Weeks On

Over the next three weeks Chris's life in Ponyville fell into a solid routine. Monday to Friday he'd go to work at Mechanical Marvels. Most of the time he worked in the back, crafting the various pieces of clockwork machinery the shop sold. Sometimes the Doctor would get him to work the counter while he made some of the more complex gizmos and occasionally they would both be in the workroom, finishing an order for the odd wealthy client. Every now and then, when they were having a slow day and Chris had finished his work, the Doctor would let him go home early.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays Chris would wake up extra early for Rainbow Dash's training sessions. While the first few had been trying, exhausting ordeals, both he and Rainbow Dash had noticed that his fitness was quickly improving. He was able to run for longer before getting winded, he could do more push-ups in row and his sprint times had slowly been getting quicker.

On Saturday he had his lessons with Twilight. These usually consisted of an hour or so focusing on magical theory and the rest of the day practicing sell casting. According to Twilight he was improving at a remarkable pace. He'd quickly mastered levitation as well as basic elemental and energy manipulation spells. They'd discovered that, with both is hand's acting as focal points, he could vastly increase the flow of his magic and even cast two different spells simultaneously.

Sunday, as well as the afternoons he got off work, was Chris's personal time, to pursue whatever took his fancy. He would study geography or history, practice magic, read a book, hang out with his friends or simply stay at home and play video games, often joined by a couple of ponies. Celestia and Luna had even dropped by a couple of times to have a game of Halo.

It was Saturday today and Twilight had decided to do something a little different for Chris's magic lesson; magic duelling. So they'd headed to a secluded spot on the outskirts of Ponyville and Twilight had started teaching Chris how to fight with magic. Within fifteen minutes Chris had the basics perfected. Now, after two hours, he and Twilight were almost perfectly matched. Where Twilight had years of practice, knowledge and skill, Chris had raw power and imagination. Even though he had a far smaller arsenal, his huge pool of magic could turn something as innocuous as a simple snow spell into a raging blizzard that froze everything in its path.

"Sorry about that Twilight," Chris called through the ice. "I'll have you out of there in a jiffy." A quick heat spell later had Twilight thawed out, though she was still damp and shivery. She seemed happy all the same though.

"That was incredible," she said, casting her own heat spell to dry off.

"Thanks. I think I may have gone a little overboard on that one though. I didn't really mean to turn you into a popsicle."

Twilight laughed. "That's ok. Just remind me never to get on your bad side. You're incredibly good at this."

"So you keep telling me."

"So this's where you two got off to. We've been lookin for yah everywhere." Chris looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash trotting towards them.

"Hey girls," Twilight called. "What are you all doing here?"

"Looking for you Twilight," Rarity said. "I wanted to discuss your ensemble for the princess summit. When I couldn't find you at the library I enlisted the help of Applejack and Rainbow Dash to find you."

"What do you mean, ensemble?" Twilight asked. Rarity looked at her like she'd gone mad.

"It's in three days Twilight. You simply must have some outfits prepared that are fitting of your new royal status."

"I'm not really sure that's necessary Rarity."

"Trust me, Twilight, it's very necessary. The ponies will be expecting you to look the part of a princess."

"Hey, what is this princess summit anyway?" Chris asked.

"It's an annual event where the princesses and other high ranking officials meet and discuss events in Equestria," Twilight explained. "Things like food shortages, public disputes, plans for upcoming celebrations, things like that. It's being held in the Crystal Empire this year."

"The Crystal Empire? That was way up north wasn't it?"

"That's right," Rarity said. "The most glorious place in all of Equestria. Everypony will be going with Twilight to support her. Will you be coming too?"

Chris thought for a moment. "I should be able to get a couple of days off work. Sure, I'll come."

"Thanks Chris," Twilight said. "I feel a bit less freaked out about it knowing you guys will be there with me."

"And I'll feel a lot less 'freaked out' knowing that you'll be looking your absolute best," Rarity said. "Would you mind coming to the boutique with me? I have some wonderful ideas that I'd like to run by you."

"Actually Rarity I'm kind of busy right now."

"It's alright Twilight," Chris said. "I can keep practising on my own for a bit."

"What were you two doing out here anyway?" Rainbow asked.

"Magic lesson," Chris said. "Twilight was teaching me how to battle with magic."

"Really? That sounds kinda awesome. Mind if I stay and watch?"

Chris raised his eyebrow at Twilight. "One more round?" he asked. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Alright then," she sighed.

"I'll wait until your finished Twilight," Rarity said as she sat in the shade of a tree.

"I'll stick around too," said Applejack. "This sounds like it'll be a mighty fine show."

"I've got the popcorn," Pinkie sang. The others stared at her.

"Where did she come from?" Rainbow asked.

"No idea," Rarity said.

They quickly turned their attention back to Twilight and Chris. Chris was standing with his legs apart and his hands in front of his chest, looking calm and collected. Twilight had her head lowered, her horn pointing at Chris, her eyes narrowed with deadly focus. For a while neither of them moved. A breeze wafted lazily past them. Then Twilight reared up, her horn glowing brightly, and sent a bolt of energy hurtling towards Chris. Instead of blocking it, Chris simply stepped to the side, allowing the projectile to whizz by him. His hand flicked out, sending a small barrage of energy bolts in Twilight's direction. In an instant she disappeared behind a wall of purple energy, the bolts shattering harmlessly against it. With a flick of her horn she sent the wall speeding at Chris, who shattered it with a spear of blue light and responded with a powerful gust of wind that threw Twilight off balance, forcing her back a step. She recovered quickly and fired a sizzling beam of energy at him. Chris spun out of the way and swiped his hand through the air, unleashing a wave of azure fire. Twilight stomped her hooves on the ground, channelling her magic into the earth, and reared her head, forming a wall of rock around her. The flames splashed against the rock, which sank back into the ground, making way for Twilight's barrage of magic missiles. Chris brought his hands together, conjuring a shield around him. The missiles impacted the shield, each with a small explosion, but none of them got through. The shield vanished and Chris slammed his palms onto the ground. A powerful fountain of water erupted beneath Twilight, sending her into the air. There was a flash and she was gone, reappearing behind Chris. Her horn glowed and a column of energy roared towards Chris. Surprised by the sudden teleport, Chris reacted on instinct and fired a beam of his own, the two blasts colliding in mid-air. There was a flash of light and a colossal explosion. A wave of searing heat washed over the field, sending up a cloud of dust. It slowly cleared, revealing Chris and Twilight panting heavily, standing on either side of a small crater.

"… How about we call that one a draw?" Chris said, eyeing the brand new hole in the ground.

"Good idea," said Twilight.

Chris grinned, looked over at the spectators and laughed. All four of them were sitting there with their jaws agape, completely speechless. "So, did you enjoy the show?" he asked as he walked over to them. Rainbow was the first to recover her voice.

"That… was… so… AWESOME!" she yelled, jumping into the air. "You two were all like zap, pow, whoosh, BOOM! It was amazing!"

"Totally amazing," Pinkie agreed.

"Like Ah said, a mighty fine show."

"Quite spectacular. Though not something that I'd like to take part in," Rarity said. "Now that you've finished, would you mind helping me with your ensemble?"

Twilight sighed. "Alright then Rarity, let's go."

"Oh, and Chris? If you're coming with us we should discuss your outfit as well."

Chris groaned. "Rarity I really don't think it would matter."

"And that's why you're not a fashion designer. Now come along. I promise this won't take long at all."

"Liar," Chris said under his breath.

* * *

**That one was quick. Some of these are way easier to write than others. Anyway as you can probably guess the next chapter is going to be the start of the Equestria Girls arc. The reason I skipped forward three weeks is because I could't think of anything particularly interesting to include in those three weeks.**

**A great, big, hugeriffic thank you to everyone who's favourited or followed this story. Stay tuned for more. Later!**


	20. Chapter 20: Mirror Mirror

**And so here's the first part of the Equestria Girls arc. Sorry if some of it is a bit of a re-run with the conversations. Not a whole lot I could do with this chapter. I am going to try and make the next chapters less of a repeat of the movie. Now stop listening to me and get reading.**

* * *

The Crystal Empire was amazing. Chris wished he had a few more pairs of eyes to take everything in. The buildings were beautiful, each constructed from irregularly carved crystals in shades of blue and pink. Delicate swirls were carved into the walls, winding around the houses. Each of them glinted stunningly in the sunlight. The roads too were made of deep blue crystal, so shiny that Chris could see his own reflection if he looked down. Right in the centre of the city was the Crystal Castle, a gleaming citadel of many towers that stretched to the sky. From the highest tower many multi-coloured lights streamed across the sky, reminding Chris of an aurora. Most captivating of all were the crystal ponies who, true to their name, seemed to be made of pure living crystal. They were all slightly translucent and the sunlight made them glow from within.

Chris himself was looking quite dapper. Rarity had insisted that he wear something formal for meeting the Princesses. Chris had eventually agreed, if only to stop her nagging. He'd decided on a black, three quarter coat, a white shirt with a narrow black tie, black dress pants and his converse. He also had a satchel slung over his shoulder. The satchel was quite a new addition, a custom job from Rarity and one of the first things he'd bought with his wages. At the moment it contained his laptop and its charger, the charger for his phone, a small project he had to do for work and some spare clothes. He didn't plan on walking around looking like a funeral director the whole trip.

"Hoo-wee. Yer very first princess summit," Applejack said as they approached the castle. "You must be over the moon Twilight."

Twilight smiled uneasily. "Oh, I am excited," she said, "but, to be honest, I'm a little nervous too."

"You're nervous-cited," Pinkie Pie said from out of nowhere. "It's like you wanna jump up and down and yell 'yay me'!" she cried, jumping high in the air. "But you also wanna curl up in a teeny tiny ball and hide at the same time," she whimpered, now contorted into a tight ball, rocking on the ground. She quickly unravelled herself and patted Twilight on the head. "We've all been there!"

"I'm there almost every day," Fluttershy said, prompting a small giggle from Chris.

"Yeh've got no reason to fret Twi," Applejack said. "Everythin's gonna be just-"

"TWILIGHT!" Rarity cried, zipping up to the purple allicorn. "Sorry darling, but I just realised you're not wearing you're crown." She grabbed Twilight's head and pulled it down, as though checking for the head piece. "You haven't forgotten it back in Ponyville have you?"

"It's in her bag," Chris said, preventing a fashionista freak out. Spike patted the luggage in confirmation.

"I just feel a little self-conscious about wearing it," Twilight explained. "I haven't quite gotten accustomed to these yet either," she indicated her wings. She started flapping them and managed to lift herself into the air before wobbling unsteadily and falling back to the ground.

"You are a princess now Twilight," said Rarity. "Embrace it. I'm telling you, if I had a crown like that, I'd never take it off. Why I'd sleep in the thing."

Twilight and Chris shared an eye roll. "Come on then," Twilight said, leading the way to the castle entrance. "Princess Celestia will be expecting us."

A few minutes later they were assembled outside a set of double doors, which opened with a creak. Inside stood two rows of crystal pony guards holding trumpets, which they started blowing in a royal fanfare. Twilight walked forward, looking around in astonishment and promptly ran into the last guard in line. Chris had to resist the urge to face palm. The guard recovered quickly and announced, "Her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Another allicorn strode forward, laughing gently, with Celestia and Luna right behind her. Chris was fairly sure that this was the Princess Cadance Twilight had told him about. "Twilight," she said as she nuzzled her. "I haven't seen you since the coronation. Oh, and you must be Chris. Twilight, Luna and Celestia have told me all about you."

"I dread to think," Chris grinned as he walked forward with the other ponies. "You must be Princess Cadance."

She laughed and nodded. "I am. I see Twilight must have already told you about me."

Chris shrugged. "A bit here and there. It's nice to finally meet you though."

"Likewise."

"Now that introductions are over," Celestia said with a kind smile, "I think it's time you all headed to bed. You must be tired from your journey. We'll start our discussions tomorrow."

* * *

Chris sighed as he stretched out on his bed. He was a little bit worn out, but he still had some work to do. Rolling over, he reached for his satchel and pulled out his laptop and a small wooden box. He opened the computer and quickly entered his password before opening the word document with the instructions the Doctor had given him. He carefully removed the lid from the box, he pulled out a small, half-finished pocket watch as well as several tiny cogs. Diving back into his satchel he retrieved a small screwdriver, some tweezers, a box of tiny screws and a pair of goggles. The goggles were special, imbued with an adjustable magnifying enchantment, allowing Chris to see miniature details. Chris pulled them on before picking up his tools and reading the instructions. While this wasn't a particularly complicated build, its minute size made it quite fiddly. He could only work so fast without something slipping and every now and then he had to go back and adjust some of the parts. Still, he made some good progress and after an hour or so he called it a night, packed away his things, tucked himself in and turned out the light, ready for a good night's sleep.

* * *

"My crown, she's got my crown!"

Chris awoke with a start, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes. _What's going on?_

"Stop! Thief!" came Twilight's voice. Chris threw of the covers and got to his feet. "She's stolen my crown," he heard Twilight cry. His doors were virtually ripped off their hinges with the force of his telekinesis, just as Twilight charged past them. He ran into the hall and caught sight of the cloaked pony being chased by Twilight. Everything seemed to slow down. Magic rushed down Chris's arm, collecting into a ball of freezing energy. Twilight's horn glowed and she vanished, clearing the way for Chris. His arm whipped forward, sending his icy payload hurtling down the hall. The spell missed by a hair as the pony turned a corner. "Stop!" he heard Twilight shout. He sprinted down the hall and skidded round the corner, just in time to see Twilight pull a cloak off her head and a yellow unicorn round the corner at the other end of the hall. Chris kept running, Twilight just ahead of him and the others just behind. The unicorn looked over her shoulder in surprise as Twilight tried to bite down on her yellow and red tail. Then, in desperation, Twilight hurled herself forward, tackling the unicorn through a pair of doors. In the tumble Twilight's crown flew from the unicorn's saddlebags and bounced off the walls before flying at a large mirror and disappearing with a flash of light. There was a collective gasp and Twilight glared at the suddenly smug unicorn.

"What did you do with my crown?"

"Sorry it had to be this way," the unicorn said, before vanishing with a flash of green light. She reappeared next to the mirror and saluted mockingly. "Princess." With that she jumped into the mirror and vanished. There was another collective gasp. Then Fluttershy asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Who was that?"

* * *

"Sunset Shimmer," said Celestia, "a former student of mine. She began her studies with me not long before Twilight. But when she didn't get what she wanted as quickly as she liked she turned cruel and dishonest." An air of sadness came over the white allicorn. "I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path. One that has sadly lead her to stealing your crown."

"She replaced Twilight's with this one," Spike said, holding up a crown that looked similar to Twilight's. Celestia peered closely at it, examining the details.

"I suppose she thought you wouldn't notice right away that this was not yours," she said. "And by the time you did, it would be too late to go after your crown and element of harmony."

"But I don't understand," Twilight said as she followed Celestia out of the room. "Where did she go? Where did she take the crown?"

Celestia looked at Twilight and said cryptically, "You'll soon know more about this place than even I do."

They followed Celestia and Twilight through the halls of the castle, returning to the room with the mirror. Luna stepped up to it and looked at her reflection. "This is no ordinary mirror," she said. "It is a gateway to another world."

"Like the pond Pinkie pulled me through?" Chris asked. He'd changed into a more causal white t-shirt and jeans, with a black hoodie tied around his waist by the sleeves. He had his satchel slung over his shoulder once again.

"Indeed. It is a gateway that opens once every thirty moons."

"Sparkly," Pinkie said as she stuck her hoof on the mirror's surface, making it ripple and shimmer. Luna rolled her eyes and magically pulled Pinkie's hoof back.

"It has always been kept in the throne room of Canterlot castle," she continued. "But when Princess Cadance took over the Crystal Empire we sent it here for her to watch over."

Celestia gave a short sigh. "I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would one day use it to return, to come back to Equestria seeking my guidance. Obviously this is not what has happened."

"It's not your fault Celestia," Chris said. Celestia looked at him in surprise and he shrugged. "You blame yourself, at least in some small way, for what happened with Sunset Shimmer. Her going bad doesn't make it your fault. The blame lies with her alone." He could see in the allicorn's eyes that his words heartened her, at least a little bit.

"Twilight, you must use the mirror to go into this other world and retrieve your crown," said Cadance. "Without it the other elements have no power and Equestria is left without one of its most important means of defence."

"Maybe you guys should reconsider your position on embedding all-important magical elements into royal headgear," Chris said. The princesses glared at him. "What? I'm just saying it would be a good idea."

Luna sighed and looked back to Twilight as she walked up to the mirror. "Your crown does not belong in the place that Sunset Shimmer now calls home. And in her possession your element of harmony will no doubt be used to bring harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will not have the power to defend themselves."

A saddlebag was levitated onto Twilight's back and Celestia walked up behind her. "You understand the importance of your task?" she asked.

"Of course," Twilight replied.

"Good. You must go at once."

Twilight took a deep breath and gathered her resolve, starting forward. Before she could approach the mirror Rainbow Dash landed in front of her with a thud.

"Woah woah woah," Rainbow said. "She's going, then we're going with her. Right guys?" The others, including Chris, stood beside her, all willing and able to lend their support.

"Ooo!" Pinkie squealed. "I'm so nervous-cited!"

Applejack leaned over and said, "You do realise that's not a real word, right?"

Twilight smiled, thankful to have her friends with her, but Celestia laid a hoof on her shoulder and said, "I'm afraid I can't let you go."

"What? Why not?" Rainbow stomped her hoof.

"Sending all of you could upset the balance of this alternate world," Celestia explained. "Creating havoc that would make it impossible for Twilight to get the crown back from Sunset Shimmer. This is something that Princess Twilight must do alone."

"I should at least go with her," Chris argued. "I have the most experience with inter-dimensional travel."

"You've only done it once," Rainbow pointed out.

"And how many times have you done it, huh?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow it."

"Time is of the essence," Luna said, projecting a picture of the night sky above her. "On the third day, when the moon reaches its peak in the night sky, the gateway will close and when it does it will be another thirty moons until you are able to return."

Twilight gulped nervously and walked up to the mirror. Behind her the others called out encouragement. She placed her hoof on the mirror's surface, which rippled and glittered. Her resolve wavered for a moment and she looked back at Celestia, who nodded. Twilight turned to the mirror, swallowed her fear and walked through.

Chris could hardly take it. Sending Twilight alone was such a stupid plan. Then he caught Spike's eye and saw that the little dragon was thinking the exact same thing and coming up with the exact same plan. At the same time they took off, running for the mirror.

"Chris, Spike, No!"

Spike hit the mirror first, swiftly followed by Chris, and they were thrown into a vortex of light. They tumbled and spiralled uncontrollably as they hurtled through the dimensional divide. There was a flash of light and then Chris was slowly opening his eyes as he lay on the ground.

"Ow… that was not fun," he mumbled.

"Uh, Twilight?" he heard Spike say from somewhere behind him.

"Spike?" replied Twilight. "You're not supposed to… Spike? Are you a… dog?"

Chris jolted upright and gaped in disbelief at, the now canine, Spike standing next to… oh.

"I think so," Spike said, turning in a circle. "But you're a… uh…"

"Human," Chris finished numbly. Twilight held up her new hands, stared at them in shock for a few seconds and started screaming. "Oh boy."


	21. Chapter 21: Welcome to Canterlot High

**Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.**

**So, when we left off Twilight had her crown stolen, Chris pointed out the flaws in Equestria's defence system, and the two of them plus Spike went through the looking glass. Lewis Carroll was turning in his grave, I'm sure.**

* * *

"How do you balance on two legs?" Twilight asked as wobbled on the spot. Even with her arm around Chris's shoulders she was very unsteady. It had taken Chris and Spike a while to stop her freaking out about her new form and she was only now getting on her feet. Strangely she had not only been given a human body, but normal human clothes as well. It appeared that normal human motor function was not one of the freebies.

"Years of practice," Chris replied. "You're standing wrong. Keep your legs straight and your feet apart."

"Like that?"

"That's good. Now, keep your head up and your shoulders back. Think you can manage by yourself?"

"I think so," Twilight said. Chris removed her arm and stepped back, watching to make sure she wouldn't fall. Twilight wobbled for a second before regaining her balance.

"Wonderful," Chris said. "Just don't move too much."

"I'm staying right here."

"Now, where are we?" They were standing on a wide concrete path that ran from the front of a large, red brick building in front of them. The building was several storeys high with a large glass dome and a clock tower on the roof. Behind them was a large marble plinth with a statue of a prancing horse on top. "That must be the portal on this side," Chris said. He touched the side of the plinth lightly, making it ripple and sparkle. He gave another brief look around and noticed something else; there were other humans walking around. They didn't exactly look like the humans from his world though. They were more multi-coloured and cartoony.

"That could be why you're a human," Chris said to Twilight. "Maybe the mirror makes it so you blend in. That would also explain why I didn't change."

"Lucky you."

"No need to be a grouch."

"Uh, shouldn't we start looking for the crown?" Spike pointed out.

"Good point Spike," Twilight said. "Let's start with the castle first." She lifted her leg to take a step and instantly lost her balance. She teetered for a second with a leg in the air before toppling backwards. Thankfully Chris caught her under the arms and helped her back up.

"I don't think it's a castle," he said. "I think it's a high school." He noticed Twilight wobbling again as she tried to walk. "Do you want some help?"

"No. I've got it." Chris rolled his eyes as she wobbled along the path. Somehow she made it to the stairs of the school without falling over and collapsed against the handrail.

"The sooner we get the crown, the better," she growled as she hauled herself up the stairs.

"Well look on the bright side," said Spike. "You don't have those pesky wings anymore." Twilight glared at him, clearly not intending to look on the bright side. Chris followed them up the stairs with his hands in his pockets. Twilight pulled herself upright and managed to keep her balance as she walked up to the door. Chris raised an eyebrow as she bowed her head, flicked it back and slammed face first into the still closed door.

"What were you trying to accomplish there?" he asked as Twilight held her head.

"I was trying to pull the door open but my magic won't work," she grumbled.

"Well that makes sense, seeing as you don't have your horn," Spike said.

"What?" Twilight's hands went to her forehead. Chris sighed.

"We should probably find you a mirror," he said, reaching for the door.

"Hang on a second Chris. Can you use your magic?" Twilight asked.

Chris frowned. He hadn't thought about that. He reached inwards and, annoyingly, couldn't feel anything. "No, it doesn't appear so. I guess the portal did affect me after all."

"Remind me to study it when we get back. I want to find out how it works." Chris rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. Twilight and Spike followed him through.

"Yep," Chris said. "Definitely a high school." Rows of lockers lined the halls and a couple of glass fronted cabinets proudly displayed their collections of trophies and medals. Twilight walked up to one of the cabinets and peered through the glass.

"More artefacts she's stolen from Equestria?" Twilight wondered.

"Doubtful," Chris said. "More likely they're just ordinary school awards."

A bell rang from somewhere above them. A rumble went through the floor. "Oh dear," said Chris.

"What?"

"It's a high school and class just ended." Doors opened and hundreds of students poured out into the halls. Chris dodged around several people and realised he'd lost sight of Twilight. He tried to fight against the flow of people but the current was too strong. By the time he managed to fight free of the crowds he was in another part of the school all together. He collapsed against the lockers and took a deep breath. He'd never liked high school. And now he'd lost Twilight too. Great. He peered into the crowds, trying to catch a glimpse of purple. Nothing. It seemed that, wherever Twilight was, it wasn't in this part of the school. He sighed and pushed himself away from the lockers. _Well, I'd better get looking,_ he thought. He headed down the hall and turned right, trying to figure out the way back to the entrance. He only managed to get more lost. All the hallways looked the same for god's sake. How was anyone supposed to find their way in here? A door just ahead of him opened and a man stepped out into the hall. A man who seemed… eerily familiar. His hair was dark brown and spiked up at the front. His eyes were blue and kind. He wore a brown suit over a white shirt with a green tie. A small hour glass pin was in his lapel.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Chris muttered before steeling himself and walking over. "Excuse me? Hi, I'm new here and I've gotten a bit lost." Chris said all this with a cheery smile that hid his growing unease quite well.

The brown haired man smiled. "It's nice to meet you," he said in an all too familiar voice. "I suppose Canterlot High can be a bit tricky to navigate for first timers. What's your name?"

"Chris."

"It's nice to meet you Chris. My name's John Smith but everyone calls me the Doctor. I teach science here. What are you looking for?"

Chris continued to smile, even though he was feeling distinctly unnerved. "I'm just trying to find my way back to the front entrance. I should be able to find my way from there."

"Ah. Well you're heading in the right direction. Just head to the end of this hall, turn left and then go right at the second junction. That'll lead you back to the main entrance."

"Ok. Thanks Doctor."

"You're welcome. I hope to see you in my classes." The Doctor waved as Chris hurried off. As soon as he rounded the corner his smile faded and was replaced by blank incomprehension.

"Well. That happened," he muttered. To his relief the Doctor's directions were spot on and he soon found himself back at the entrance. "Now what?" A bright idea occurred to him and he walked over to a nearby student.

"Hi. Have you seen a girl around, about yay tall, purple hair, looks completely clueless?"

The student looked confused and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, I think so. Did she have a little purple dog with her?"

"That sounds about right."

"Then yeah. She went down that way about ten minutes ago."

"Thanks. Have a nice day."

"Yeah… you too." _That was kind of weird,_ the student thought.

"Now," Chris said as he headed down the hall. "If I were Twilight Sparkle, were would I be?"

"How dare you speak to her that way!"

Chris grinned. "Naturally, wherever there's trouble." The voice was close and unmistakably Twilight.

"What did you say?" Chris didn't recognise this new voice.

"I said, how dare you speak to her that way." More words were spoken, too quiet for Chris too make out. It sounded like it was coming from a few halls down. Chris hurried along, wending his way through clumps of people. He rounded a corner and breathed a sigh of relief. Twilight was standing in the middle of the hall talking to...

"It's Fluttershy," he just heard the pink haired girl whisper. She was wearing a green skirt and boots and a white tank top. A white butterfly clip was in her hair.

"It sound like you're saying Fluttershy," said Twilight, "but how can that-" Just then Fluttershy noticed Spike.

"Oh my goodness," she said, dashing forward and almost knocking Twilight off her feet. "Who's this sweet little guy?"

Twilight managed to stay upright and said, "that's Spike, my uh, dog."

Fluttershy cupped Spike's cheeks and crooned, "Oh, he's so cute." She reached into her bag and pulled out a dog biscuit. "Go on, eat up little pup." Spike took a little nibble, looked surprised and gobbled up the rest before Chris could blink. Fluttershy took on a dreamy look. "Oh, wouldn't you just give anything to know what they're thinking?" she asked.

"He usually just tells me," Twilight said. Fluttershy looked back at her and Spike made little 'shut up' motions.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, looking concerned. Chris decided this was a good time to step in.

"She's just being figurative," he said, walking forward with an easy smile.

"Yes, that was it. Just a figure of speech." Twilight laughed awkwardly.

"Um, well, alright then." Fluttershy had come over all shy again but Chris kept smiling.

"I'm Chris by the way. I heard you say your name is Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you. I'm a friend of Twilight's."

"Oh, are you new here too?"

"Yeah, first day today."

"Anyway," Twilight said, clearly having something on her mind. "Sunset Shimmer said you picked something up. Something that belonged to her. It wasn't a crown, was it?"

"How did you know?" Fluttershy asked.

"Uh, lucky guess?" Twilight said. "Do you still have it?" Fluttershy shook her head. "But you know what happened to it?" Fluttershy nodded.

"This morning I was passing out flyers for the animal shelter like I do every Wednesday." Chris could almost hear the flashback. "It wasn't going so well and just when I was about to give up, something hit me on the back of the head. I looked around and found the crown. I had no idea where it came from, but I didn't want anything to happen to it, so I gave it to Principal Celestia."

_Princess to principal,_ Chris thought. _Now there's one hell of a demotion._

"Principal Celestia?" Twilight asked. "She's the ruler here?" Chris resisted the urge to elbow her. _Think things through before saying them Twilight._

"Well I guess you could say that," Fluttershy said, looking a little confused. "Technically, I guess she and Vice-principal Luna do make the rules."

"Where is she now?" Twilight asked.

"Probably in her office," Fluttershy said. Twilight and Spike ran off. In opposite directions. Chris face palmed. They walked back looking sheepish. Fluttershy smiled and pointed down the hall. "Third door on your left," she said.

"Thank you," Twilight said, taking off again. Chris rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to run, Twilight," he called after her. "See ya Fluttershy."

"Oh, wait," Fluttershy called. Twilight and Spike stuck their heads back around the corner as Chris walked over to them. "You're not really supposed to have pets on school grounds. You might wanna tuck him into you back pack. That's what I do." She turned around and her back opened as a cat, a rabbit and a small bird hopped out. Fluttershy sat on the ground and cuddled them. "They just get so lonely when I'm at school all day," she said.

"Oh, okay," Twilight said. "Thank you."

The bell rang again and Fluttershy shot to her feet. "Oh no, I'm late for class." With that she scooped her animals back into her bag and disappeared around the opposite corner.

There was a pause. Chris looked at Twilight.

"So, what'd I miss?"

* * *

**This seems like a good point to stop. So I shall. Hit the favourite and follow buttons and leave a review. Most importantly, stay tuned for the next episode, which will contain zombie pirates. Well okay it won't but whatever.**


	22. Chapter 22: Familiar Faces

Knock knock knock knock.

"Come in."

The door opened and Twilight walked through, bent double in an extravagant bow. Chris followed with a hand to his forehead. Fortunately Principal Celestia had her nose buried in a folder and didn't notice.

"How may I help you?" She asked. Twilight straightened up and shared an unsure look with Spike, who was sitting in her bag, before setting it down next to the desk.

"Um, uh," Twilight began. She turned to Chris and made desperate 'help me' gestures. Chris shook his head. He handle the last conversation, now it was her turn. Twilight turned back to Celestia just as she lowered the folder. She looked bored for a moment before raising an eyebrow at the two of them. Twilight smiled nervously said, "My name's Twilight Sparkle and this is Chris. We're new here and, well, I understand that Fluttershy found a crown this morning and gave it to you."

"Yes," Celestia said as she stood and walked over to a large filling cabinet. "I've had Vice-principal Luna put it somewhere for safe keeping. No idea how it ended up on the front lawn." Then she smiled kindly. "Were you interested in running for Princess of the Fall Formal this year?"

"Uh, no. Not exactly," Twilight said. "The truth is… well the truth is I... well, you see the crown is actually… Princess of the Fall Formal?"

"It's Canterlot High's big fall dance," Celestia explained as she crossed something off on a whiteboard.

"Like the Grand Galloping Gala?" Chris face palmed. Again.

Celestia looked back, clearly not following. "A grand galloping gala?"

Twilight quickly tried to cover her slip up. "Oh it was a big deal at my old, uh, school."

"And was there a princess?"

"Yes but she wasn't exactly a student."

"Here at Canterlot High the students select one of their peers to represent them," Celestia explained. "She receives her crown at the Fall Formal." Twilight looked very thoughtful at this.

"You asked me if I was interested in running for princess," she said as she and Chris walked out the door. "Can anyone run?"

"Yes, you just need to let the head of the Fall Formal planning committee know you'd like to be on the ballot. Was there anything else?" The question was clearly rhetorical as Celestia looked like she was tired of the conversation.

"Um, nope. That was it."

"Well if you do need anything else my door is always open." She then, ironically, closed the door.

Twilight glared at Chris. "You're no help at all."

"You didn't need any help. You handled it fine. Besides, I can't be your public relations department for this whole trip."

Spike stuck his head out of Twilight's bag. "Twilight, why didn't you just tell her the crown was yours and ask for it back?"

"Because she wouldn't have believed a word of it," Chris answered.

"Exactly," Twilight said. "She probably would have thought I was crazy."

"You make a good point," Spike said.

"Looks like if I want my crown back I'll have to become Princess of the Canterlot High Fall Formal. So that's what I'm gonna do."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Spike asked.

"I have no idea." The bell rang again. Twilight and Chris braced themselves for the rush.

* * *

"One thing they do have in common is that they know Sunset Shimmer's going to rule this school until we graduate," Fluttershy finished. "Oh, by the way, where'd your friend go?"

Twilight sighed. "I have no idea. He told me to get some lunch and he'd meet up with me later. I don't even know when later is."

"Later is now," Chris said as he dropped into the bench beside Twilight. Despite the cafeteria being packed the two girls had somehow managed to get a table to themselves. "Because now is the time I'm meeting up with you. Hey Fluttershy."

Twilight rolled her eyes as Chris tucked into his lunch. "Where did you go off to?"

"I was getting familiar with the school. And the students. Did you learn anything new?"

"Not much. Everyone in the school is divided up into groups and kept in line by Sunset Shimmer."

"That's pretty much all I got too. I can tell you though that no one likes Sunset but their too scared of speaking out. They all seem pretty certain that's the way it's going to stay."

"Not if I can help it," said Twilight. She leaned forward and picked an apple off her tray with her mouth. Chris sighed as she chewed on it. She caught the odd look Fluttershy was giving her, pulled the apple out of her mouth and laughed awkwardly. "So, ah, where would I find the head of the Party Planning Committee?"

* * *

"I bet you anything the head of the committee is Pinkie Pie," Chris said as they walked into the gym. Multi-coloured streamers were draped through the rafters and balloons were pinned to every conceivable surface. In the middle of the ceiling was hung a glittering disco ball.

"Incoming," a voice from above yelled. They looked up and ducked for cover as a small tidal wave of streamers fell over them. Chris brushed away the streamers now draped over him and raised an eyebrow at the girl who could only be Pinkie Pie. The bubble-gum pink candy floss hair gave it away.

"I told you so," Chris said. Twilight rolled her eyes and walked over to Pinkie, who was blowing up a big balloon.

"Hello," Twilight said. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. Are you Pinkie Pie, the head of the Party Planning Committee?"

Pinkie beamed and tied the end of the balloon. "Yes indeedily. How'd you know?" She gasped and pushed her face close to Twilight's. "Are you psychic?"

"Uh… no. Fluttershy told us that the head of the Party Planning committee would be in here."

"Fluttershy, huh?" Pinkie said, losing her smile. "Don't let the whole "shy" thing fool you. She can be a real meanie."

Chris frowned. That was strange.

"You two aren't friends?" Twilight said quietly. "Anyway I want to run for Princess of the Fall Formal."

Pinkie's grin returned and she pulled a clipboard and pen out of her hair. "Waited a bit to get your name on the ballot, huh? Dance is day after tomorrow."

"We're brand new here," Chris said.

"Oh! I thought you didn't look familiar," Pinkie said. "Though, now that I'm really looking at you..." she started turning Twilight around, looking at her from every angle. "Do you have a twin sister who lives in the city, has a pet dog named Spike that looks just like that one?" She pointed at Spike, who was chewing on a balloon.

"Uh… maybe?" Twilight said.

"Thought so. Anyhoo, just need to fill this out and you are officially up for the coveted Princess of the Fall Formal crown." Pinkie held out the clipboard and pen again. Twilight grinned nervously and glanced over at Chris, silently begging for help.

"Actually she can't write at the moment," he said quickly. "She uh… has a twisted wrist. Do you mind if I fill it out for her."

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie said, passing the pen. "Just make sure you don't write your own name by mistake."

Chris sniggered and filled out Twilight's name. Just as he finished the door to the gym opened again and a pile of drink cases walked through. "Someone order a dozen cases a' fizzy apple cider?" called a familiar voice.

"Oh! Oh! Me, me-me-me, me, yeah, ah-huh, me!" Pinkie squealed as she bounced over. The cases were set on the floor, and Applejack stepped into view. It had to be Applejack. The accent, the blonde hair, the Stetson. She was even wearing cowboy boots.

"Could you bring in the rest?" she called over her shoulder.

"Eeyup," said a tall boy in a red jacket as he came through the door, carrying the rest of the cases without so much as breaking a sweat. Big Mac, Chris guessed.

Applejack looked over and noticed Twilight. "Hey, Ah' know you." Twilight looked confused.

"You do?" she asked.

"Sure." Applejack popped the top off a bottle. "Yer the new girl who gave Sunset Shimmer the what for today." She took a gulp of cider as Pinkie stuck her head in.

"Twilight Sparkle here is gonna run against Sunset Shimmer for Princess of the Fall Formal," she said. Applejack's eyes widened and she spat out her mouthful of cider.

"Ah'd think twice about that," Applejack warned. "Oh, sure, she'll probably approach you all friendly like..." She grabbed a balloon and drew sunset's face on it. "I sure am lookin' forward to some friendly competition," she said in a fake voice. She held up another balloon, this one with Twilight's face. "That's so good to hear. But then, here comes the backstabbin'." She turned the Sunset balloon round and popped the Twilight balloon with a pin taped to the back.

"Where'd the pin come from?" Chris said to himself.

"About the only girl you can trust less than Sunset Shimmer is Rainbow Dash," Applejack concluded.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

"She's the captain of, like, every team at Canterlot High," Pinkie said as she bounced past on a giant balloon.

Applejack crossed her arms and frowned. "She's also the captain of sayin' she's gonna do somethin' for ya, and then turnin' around and not even botherin' to show up."

Twilight pushed the new information aside for now. "Thanks for the advice Applejack," she said, "but his is something that I really need to do."

Applejack shrugged. "Suit yerself. Hey, how'd you know mah name's Applejack?"

Twilight froze for a fraction of a second and laughed nervously. "Didn't you say?" she tried.

"Nope." _Shut up Big Macintosh._

Twilight laughed again, backing towards the door. "Well, it sure was nice meeting you both," she said. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." With that she zipped out the door, Chris and Spike quickly following her. Chris closed the door behind them and looked at Twilight, who was leaning against the lockers, breathing deeply.

"That was smooth," he said.

"Oh shut up."

* * *

**Number 22 is done. Yay! These chapters are being a bit diffiuclt. I'm not really sure how many of the conversations I should skip. What do you guys think?**

**I command thee to press the favourite and follow buttons!**


	23. Chapter 23: Texts and Fixed Friendships

**How is it I can finish the longest chapter yet in like two days and an average length chapter takes me a whole week? What the hell?**

* * *

"I think we're going the wrong way," said Chris. They'd somehow managed to find themselves in a dead end corridor. The light above them flickered fitfully and the one at the end of the hall wasn't even on.

"I think you're right," Twilight said. "We should retrace our steps."

"I can't believe I didn't recognise you earlier," said someone behind them. Chris looked over his shoulder at the girl behind them. The wavy yellow and red hair was familiar, as was the snide, condescended tone of voice. Chris could only assume this was Sunset Shimmer.

"Should've known Princess Celestia would send her prized pupil her after my crown," Sunset continued. "And her little dog too."

Twilight glared at Sunset. "It's my crown."

"Whatever," Sunset said, circling them. "This is just a minor setback for me. You don't know the first thing about this place and I already rule it."

"Then it's a good thing she's got me," Chris said. Sunset snorted dismissively.

"Please. She could bring all the little helpers she wanted and it wouldn't achieve a thing."

Chris gritted his teeth. This girl's arrogance was fast getting on his nerves. Twilight laid a hand on his shoulder, silently willing him to stay calm, and said, "If you think you rule this place then why do you even need my crown? You went to an awful lot of trouble to switch it with the one that belongs here."

"Pop quiz," Sunset said. "What happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world?" Twilight stopped. She really wasn't sure what would happen. "You don't know?" Sunset teased. "Seriously? A-ha, and you're supposed to be Princess Celestia's star student?" Twilight pouted for a second before regaining her anger. "Then again," Sunset continued, "what were the chances she'd find somepony as bright as me to take under her wing after I decided to leave Equestria. Bit embarrassing that you were the best she could do." Chris was about to say something but was beaten to it by Spike, who stretched out of Twilight's bag and growled angrily at Sunset. For a second she was shocked but quickly recovered her arrogant, self-assured demeanour. "Oh, and I'd keep an eye on your mutt. Hate for him to be… taken away from you."

"Is that a threat?" Spike growled.

"Oh of course not," said Sunset. Spike barked at her. "But I'd cut down on the chatter if I were you. Don't want everyone to know you three don't belong here, now would you?

"You wanna be a princess here? Please," she said as she walked off, "you don't know the first thing about fitting in."

No one said anything as she walked around the corner and out of sight.

"I really don't like her," Chris decided

* * *

"So what's this?" Twilight asked.

"It's called a vending machine," Chris said as she peered through the glass. "You put money in and you get food out."

"We don't have any money, do we?"

"Nope."

Twilight sighed. "You know, Sunset Shimmer was right. I don't know the first thing about this place." She walked away down the hall and Chris hurried to catch up. "If I'm gonna really fit in and-"

"The Great and Powerful Tr-r-r-rixie!" yelled a voice from behind them. Chris whipped around, surprised by the sudden shout. A girl with pale blue and white striped hair and a dark blue hoodie was standing in front of the vending machine with her arms over her head. Chris caught her eye and arched an eyebrow. The girl blushed and pointed her thumb at the machine. "Just, uh… getting some peanut butter crackers," she said. She quickly popped her coin into the machine, grabbed her crackers and hurried away, blushing furiously.

"Anyway," Twilight said slowly. "As I was saying, if I'm gonna really fit in and win votes, we need to do some research."

Spike looked confused. "Research?"

"This place has a school," Twilight said. "I have to believe it's got a… library!" Chris followed Twilight through the double doors into the large, circular, two levelled school library. He grinned as she bounded eagerly over to the nearest shelf and started browsing the titles. Then something else caught her eye. "Hey Chris," she called. "Those look familiar."

Chris followed her pointing finger and nodded. "Those are computers. You remember how I let you have a go on my laptop a few weeks ago? Those are pretty much just like my laptop, only bigger and more powerful."

"Ooo…"

"I think you're probably better off sticking to books Twilight," Chris said with a kind smile. Twilight shrugged.

"Fair enough. Now lets see…"

* * *

Chris hummed to himself as he wandered around the top floor of the library. Twilight had been studying for nearly two hours and he had long since grown bored. There had been a couple of funny moments, like when Twilight had discovered that it's best to put the lid down on a photocopier when you use it, but he'd quickly grown tired of reminding her to pick up books with her hands instead of her mouth.

Chris heard something and stopped humming. He frowned. It sounded like someone… snickering. Chris looked over railings to the floor below. On the opposite side of the room was Twilight, busy picking up books after falling over for the umpteenth time. And almost directly below him were a pair of boys, hiding behind a book cart. They looked kind of familiar… Chris remembered meeting a pair of colts back in Equestria, Snips and Snails. A good hunch told him the boys were them.

He quietly descended the stairs and glided up behind them. Both of them were peering over the cart, holding their phones. Chris could see a little red dot on each of their screens. _Why are they recording,_ Chris wondered. _Did Sunset Shimmer put them up to this?_ He moved a little closer and crossed his arms.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to spy on people?"

Snips and Snails shrieked and jumped away, collapsing over the book cart in the process. Chris glared down at the two sprawled across the floor with the books.

"What's going on over here?" Cheerilee asked, hurrying over with a tired frown.

"These two were spying on a friend of mine," Chris said.

Cheerilee turned her glare on Snips and Snails, who were smiling nervously. They weren't sure which was worse, the disappointed frown from the librarian or the ice cold glare from the other boy.

"Well then," Cheerilee said, "I think it's only fair that you two leave the library this instant." Snips and Snails exchanged a look and scarpered. Cheerilee shook her head and sighed. "Those two are incorrigible," Chris heard her say as she went back to what she was doing.

"What was that all about?" Twilight asked. Chris hadn't heard her come over.

"I'm not sure," Chris said. "But I don't like it."

* * *

"Ugh… Ow…" Chris groaned as he stretched and rolled his shoulders. "Spike, for future reference, books do not make good beds." It was weird enough having to stay the night at school, but sleeping on a bed of books? That was just crazy.

"It was the best I could do," Spike said. "It's not like they store mattresses in a library."

"Come on you two, focus," Twilight said, riffling through a small pile of papers. "Fluttershy said I'd need to win over all those different groups if I want to become Princess of the Fall Formal. So I've compiled a list of talking points." Spike started laughing.

"You made a list?" he joked. "That's so unlike you." Twilight whipped around, put her bag in front of him and pointed to it, all with a harsh glare. Spike giggled nervously. "Uh… please, continue," he said as he stepped into the bag.

"I'll start introducing myself," Twilight said, "sprinkle some things I've learned about their world into the conversation, show them how I fit in here."

They walked up to the doors of the library and she hesitated, taking a deep breath. "Okay Spike, Chris. Time to make a good first impression on my fellow students." She pushed open the doors and stared apprehensively down the crowded hall. "The whole world sort of depends on it." Then she put a smile on and headed down the hall, with Chris beside her. Almost as soon as the students noticed her the conversations around them changed, replaced bywhispers and laughter.

"Why's everybody looking at me funny?" Twilight asked. Then someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a classroom, slamming the door behind her. Chris gave the door a quizzical frown and waited for a bit. Then, deciding she wasn't going to come back out, he stepped forward and knocked politely. The door opened partway and Chris was met with a face framed by familiar looking, styled purple hair.

"I'm sorry," Rarity said sweetly. "But this room is, uh, occupied."

"It's alright, I'm a friend of hers," Chris said. Rarity blinked in surprise.

"Oh, well in that case, uh… come in." She opened the door a bit wider and Chris slid inside. The first thing he noticed was that Twilight was now wearing a green dress and a blonde wig, both of which looked rubbish on her.

"Now, as I was saying," Rarity said, striding forward. "We'll need a disguise for your dog. Which is too bad." She leaned in and scratched Spike under the chin. "He really is so adorable." Then she pulled back. "You know with a little work I think I could make him look like a rabbit instead."

"Huh?" Spike grunted and fell out of Twilight's bag.

"A rabbit?" Twilight asked. Just then another door to the room opened and Applejack came in. She noticed Twilight and smiled with relief.

"There you are Twilight," she said. Rarity huffed and crossed her arms.

"So much for the disguise."

"Ah've been lookin' all over for yeh," Applejack continued. Fluttershy stuck her head around the door.

"Me too," she said.

"Me three," said Pinkie, apparently hanging upside down from the ceiling. Then she zipped up close and looked Twilight up and down. "I like your new look," she said.

"I do have an eye for these sorts of things," Rarity said coldly. "Not that you seem to care."

"What?!"

Twilight looked confused as she pulled off the wig. "Why do you think she doesn't care?" Pinkie bit her lip and fumed as, behind her, Applejack and Fluttershy both made 'shut up' motions. "No never mind," Twilight decided. "Why were you all looking for me? What's going on?"

Everyone looked decidedly awkward. "Oh, she hasn't seen it yet," Fluttershy said.

"Seen what?"

Pinkie put her laptop on a desk and opened it up. "Oh, it's not so bad," she said. Everyone gathered round and watched the video on the screen.

"Twilight Sparkle wants to be your Fall Formal Princess…" came Sunset Shimmer's voice. Chris's frown deepened as a series of embarrassing shots of Twilight flickered past, accompanied by the mocking tones of Sunset Shimmer. Red hot anger bubbled up as it became apparent what Snips and Snails had been up to.

"I-I," Twilight stammered, closing the laptop.

"I take that back," Pinkie said, "it's pretty bad."

"Oh if I get my hands on those runts I'll make them wish they'd never been born!" Chris shouted. The others edged away a little as he breathed heavily, his hands balled up into fists.

"Who're you takin' about?" Applejack asked.

"Snips and Snails," Chris growled. "They were recording that at the library yesterday."

"Has the whole school seen this?" Twilight asked, horrified. "Is that why they were all looking at me that way?" The girls made non-committal noises, which Twilight took as a yes. "What am I gonna do?" she said hopelessly. "No one is gonna vote for me after seeing this."

Fluttershy walked up behind her and said, "Not that it'll make any difference, but I'll still vote for you." Twilight's head hit the table. Fluttershy continued, "You were so nice to stand up for when Sunset Shimmer was picking on me yesterday." Twilight raised her head off the desk.

"If you still wanna run maybe there's something I could do to help," Pinkie said. Twilight smiled a bit.

"Word of advice," Fluttershy said, "don't accept her help. She doesn't take anything seriously."

Pinkie was affronted. "Oh, why do you have to be so awful to me?"

"Oh, pfft-ckc. Don't play innocent Pinkie Pie," Rarity said with an accusatory finger point. "You're no better than she is." The finger turned to Fluttershy.

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Pinkie yelled. Rarity smoothed her hair and ignored the question.

"I am happy to offer my assistance as well," she said. "To someone who would appreciate what I have to offer." She shot Pinkie a glare.

The conversation erupted into a three way argument. Chris looked between the three of them, utterly lost. Twilight looked even more dejected than before. Spike retreated into the bag.

"Listen to y'all carryin' on," Applejack said loudly, interrupting the argument. Chris wasn't sure when she'd moved over to the front desk "Get over it and move on."

"You mean like how you've gotten over what happened with Rainbow Dash?" Rarity said.

"She said she'd get the softball team to make an appearance at mah bake sale," Applejack responded. "Ah tell everybody they're comin' and then not one of 'em shows up. She made a liar outta me. That's different."

"Is not!" The others said.

"Is too!"

Once again the conversation dissolved into a free for all argument. Finally it was too much for Twilight.

"STOP!" she shouted. The others froze. "All of you. I want to show you something." The bag unzipped and Spike passed out the yearbook that Twilight had found last night. Twilight opened it to the marked page and showed the girls the picture on it. The five of them, plus Rainbow Dash, were gathered around a park bench, looking happy just being together. The picture was obviously from a long time ago, as the girls in the picture looked so much younger than the ones looking at the book.

Applejack sighed. "The Freshman Fair," she said in a wistful voice. "Y'all remember?" The others nodded, smiling slightly.

"But something happened," Twilight continued, closing the book. "I think that something was Sunset Shimmer."

Rarity scooted over. "Well it's a nice theory darling. But Sunset Shimmer had nothing to do with it."

"She's right," Fluttershy said, sounding unusually angry. "Sunset Shimmer wasn't the one who ruined my silent auction for the animal shelter by bringing fireworks and noise-makers." She huffed. "It was supposed to be a serious event and Pinkie Pie ruined it."

"What are you talking about?" Pinkie asked, just as annoyed. "I got a text from you saying that you didn't want a silent auction, you wanted a big party." Fluttershy's anger turned to confusion.

"I never sent you a text."

"You didn't?"

"You don't think she's the one who's been sending me those emails, do you?" Rarity said. "Every time I volunteer to help with the decorations at a school function I get an email from Pinkie Pie saying she has plenty of volunteers. Then I find out she's done everything herself."

"I never sent you any emails," Pinkie said, very confused.

"Damn that woman is clever," Chris said.

"Maybe she's the reason Rainbow Dash didn't show up for mah bake sale," Applejack said.

"Didn't you ever ask why Rainbow Dash didn't show up?" Twilight asked

Applejack looked embarrassed. "I kinda stopped talking to her at all after that," she admitted, holding her hat in front of her face. Twilight walked over with a comforting smile.

"Maybe now would be a good time to start," she said, putting Applejack's hat back on.

* * *

Chris sat with the others on the bleachers as Applejack and Rainbow Dash talked out on the field. Several soccer balls sat in a line for Rainbow to practice her goal shots.

"They're actually talking," Rarity said, amazed. "That's a good sign."

The two on the field talked for a few more seconds before giving each other a hug.

"Hugs!" Pinkie cheered. "Hugs are always good."

Applejack and Rainbow walked over to the bleachers. "Somebody," said Applejack, "and Ah think we can all guess who, told Rainbow Dash that mah bake sale had been moved to a different day. Dash showed up with all the softball team and thought Ah'd cancelled on her."

"Well I think we've learned something here," Chris said.

"Always talk your problems through with your friends?" Twilight guessed.

"No, always use caller ID." The girls all laughed.

"So you're looking to dethrone Sunset Shimmer and become Princess of the Fall Formal, huh?" Rainbow asked Twilight. Twilight nodded. Rainbow started juggling a soccer ball on her knees. "Gotta say, I'd really love to see that happen. I'll totally help you out." Twilight smiled. "All you gotta do is beat me in a game of one on one." Twilight's smile disappeared.

"What?" she said.

"First to five goals wins," Rainbow finished. Then she bounced her ball off her head and delivered a hefty kick that sent it straight into the goal. "One zip," she yelled.

"She's doomed," Chris said as Twilight got up.

"Oh come now," Rarity said. "She may uh… do… well."

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "You've never seen Twilight Sparkle do sports, have you?"

* * *

"I told you so," Chris said to Rarity as Rainbow scored her final, winning goal.

"Yes, well, I suppose when you're going up against Rainbow Dash winning is a bit of a stretch," Rarity admitted.

Twilight was lying on her back, desperately trying to get her breath back. Chris joined the girls as they hurried over and gathered around her prone form.

"That's game," Rainbow said, leaning over Twilight. Rarity gave a false grin.

"I really thought you were going to pull it off there in the end. Heh heh…" No one agreed with her.

"So what's the plan?" Rainbow asked, offering Twilight a hand. "How can I help you be princess instead of Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight took the hand and was pulled to her feet, staring at Rainbow disbelievingly.

"But… I… lost," Twilight gasped.

"Of course you lost. I'm awesome." Chris rolled his eyes at Rainbow's ego. "But I'm not gonna help just anybody try and beat Sunset Shimmer. The Fall Formal Princess should be someone with heart and determination." Twilight's dour expression turned into a hopeful smile. "You proved you got 'em both." Rainbow gave Twilight a playful punch on the shoulder before they shared a hug, the others cheering happily.

"You know," Chris said, "I think we might just be able to pull this off."

"I know we can," Twilight said with confidence. "As long as we stick together, we can do anything."

"And that was such a cheesy line."

* * *

**Would you look at that? We're half way through the movie. And it's only taken us four chapters.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been following, favouriting, review and reading. You're all awesome and make me want to keep going with the story.**

**I have a question for you guys out there. What sort of adventures would you like to see happen to Chris and the others? PM me or leave it in a review.**

**Until next time, peace out! (I'm never saying that again I swear)**


	24. Chapter 24: Fixing a Reputation

**Hey everyone. Quick heads up, I think I did a terrible job writing out the song in this chapter. Other than that I'm pretty happy with it. Enjoy.**

* * *

Chris looked up from his laptop at the sudden clatter that rang through Sugarcube Corner. Twilight was standing at the counter, next to a guy with spiky blue hair and milkshake all down his front. A cup was on the floor, a large chocolate puddle spreading from it. Twilight appeared to be blushing quite furiously. Chris rolled his eyes and looked back down at the computer. He was grateful for the free Wi-Fi at Sugarcube Corner.

"Well, I think it's official," Chris said as he scrolled through the comments section. "Sunset Shimmer's video will have no one voting for Twilight by the time the dance comes around."

"There has to be somethin' we can do about it," Applejack said. At that moment Twilight came back, looking rather distracted. A slight blush graced her face as she started twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"Don't even think about it," Rarity said. "You're already trying to get her crown. Who knows what Sunset Shimmer would do if you ended up getting her ex-boyfriend too."

"I'm not trying to – I don't even know – we just accidently – ex-boyfriend?" Twilight cast a nervous look over her shoulder.

"Flash Sentry broke up with her a few weeks ago," Fluttershy said. "I can't believe she hasn't done something awful to him yet." Everyone tried to look casual as Flash walked past their table. Well everyone except Twilight, who tried to hide behind Pinkie Pie's chair. Chris glanced up as he passed, and noticed the smile he sent Twilight's way. Once he'd gone Twilight straightened up, looking worried.

"Maybe she's just waiting until she has the power to do something really awful," she said.

Applejack got up from her seat and said, "Alright girls-"

"Ahem."

"And Chris."

"Thank you."

"The dance is tomorrow night and we still don' know how we're gonna get Twilight the votes she needs to be named princess. Right now folks only know the Twilight from the video Sunset Shimmer posted online. We need to help them see her differently." Everyone murmured in agreement and thought.

"I've got it!" Rarity shrieked, leaping to her feet. Everyone in the store stared at her. A deep blush and an embarrassed smile crossed her face before she regained her composure. "A-hem. I mean, uh, perhaps I have a solution." She walked over to her bag and rummaged around a bit. "Now this may be an absolutely preposterous idea but… what if we all wore these as a sign of unity." She held up what looked like a headband with attached horse ears and a tie on horse-tail belt. "Freshman year they were very very popular," Rarity explained, "a way for everyone to show their school spirit. You know, go Canterlot Wondercolts!" she cheered as she jumped up and down. She smiled awkwardly and gave a small cough. "I haven't sold any in ages." She reached down and grabbed some more headbands. "I mean, the six of us are obviously very different. But deep down we're all Canterlot Wondercolts." Everyone took a headband and put it on. Chris looked at his sceptically. "Sunset Shimmer was the one who divided us, Twilight Sparkle is the one who united us, and we're going to let everyone know it." She put a headband on Twilight and looked at the others expectantly. "What do you think?"

The girls all gave the plan their approval, and looked expectantly at Chris. He sighed and put the headband on. "It's crazy," he said. "And it might just work."

* * *

"I can't believe you roped me into this," Chris muttered as he sat down next to Applejack in the cafeteria. The large room was filled with casual chatter of hundreds of students having lunch. He and Applejack, and indeed the rest of the girls, were wearing blue jumpers with a horseshoe-like yellow 'C' on the front, as well as the tail-belts and ear-headbands.

"You wanna help Twilight don't you?" Applejack asked.

"Of course I do. But singing and dancing just seems a little silly."

Applejack giggled. "Oh come on. It'll be fun."

"Hmm."

Thump. Thump-thump

Thump. Thump-thump

_Here we go,_ Chris thought as Rarity joined in with Pinkie's beat.

Thump. Thump-thump.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Chris and Applejack joined in.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Chris and Applejack got up from their seats as the music came on, right on cue.

Thump, clap, thump-thump, clap.

Everyone: "Hey, hey everybody  
We've got somethin' to say.  
We may seem as different  
As the night is from day.

But you look a little deeper  
And you will see  
That I'm just like you and  
You're just like me

Yeah!"

Chris shared a quick fist bump with Rainbow before the nest verse came on.

"Hey, hey, everybody  
We're here to shout  
That the magic of friendship  
Is what it's all about.

Yeah, We thought we were different  
As the night is from the day  
Until Twilight Sparkle  
Helped us see another way

So get up get down  
If you're gonna come around  
We can work together  
Helping Twilight win the crown

So get up get down  
'Cause it's gonna make a sound  
If we work together  
Helping Twilight Sparkle win the crown!"

Chris: "Hey, hey  
hands up now,  
We're sending a message  
To the crowd"

Pinkie: "Hands wave up  
Then come down  
We party together  
All around!"

Rarity: "Generous, honesty,"  
Applejack: "Laughter, kindness, loyalty"  
Fluttershy: "Twilight helped us each to see"  
Rainbow Dash: "All that we can be!"

Everyone: "So get up, get down  
If you're gonna come around.  
We can work together  
Helping Twilight win the crown

So get up get down  
'Cause it's gonna make a sound  
If we work together  
Helping Twilight Sparkle win the crown!"

The doors opened and Twilight walked in.

Twilight: "I'm gonna be myself  
No matter what I do.  
And if we're different, yeah  
I want you to be true to you.

If you follow me  
We'll put our differences aside  
We'll stick together and  
Start working on that school pride!"

Everyone: "Jump up  
Make a sound.  
Hey!  
Stomp your hooves  
Turn around.

Start now,  
make a change,  
Gonna come around

Jump up  
Make a sound  
Hey!  
Stomp your hooves,  
Turn around

Canterlot  
Wondercolts  
Help her win the crown!

Jump up  
Make a sound.  
Hey!  
Stomp your hooves  
Turn around.

Start now,  
Make a change,  
Gonna come around

Jump up  
Make a sound  
Hey!  
Stomp your hooves,  
Turn around

Canterlot  
Wondercolts  
Help her win the crown!

Jump up  
Make a sound.  
Hey!  
Stomp your hooves  
Turn around.

Start now,  
make a change,  
Gonna come around

Jump up  
Make a sound  
Hey!  
Stomp your hooves,  
Turn around

Canterlot …"

* * *

"Doesn't everyone look just fabulous?" Rarity said as they walked through the school. Everyone was wearing the ears and tails and people who'd barely ever spoken were hanging out in the halls.

"It was a great idea Rarity," Twilight said.

"Don' know what she's smilin' about," Applejack said. Chris followed her gaze and saw Sunset Shimmer swaggering down the corridor, flanked by Snips and Snails. "Twilight's the one who's gonna be Princess of the Fall Formal."

As they passed Snips and Snails made a show of sniggering at them. Their laughter was cut off when they caught the stone-cutting glare Chris was throwing their way. Sunset simply ignored them as she knocked on a door. This world's version of Luna stepped out, looking concerned.

"Vice-principal Luna," Sunset said, looking convincingly distressed. "Something terrible has happened.

"I don't like this," Chris said quietly as Luna walked away with Sunset. The others nodded.

* * *

"Chris you simply must stop pacing," Rarity said. "You're going to wear a trench in the floor."

"I can't help it," Chris said as he walked back and forth through the main floor of Carousel Boutique. "I'm really worried about Twilight. Sunset Shimmer tells Luna something and then Twilight get called to her office. I don't like it."

"Oh I'm sure everything will be fine," Rarity said. Chris noticed she didn't sound entirely convinced. Just then the door to the shop opened and Twilight ran straight through into one of the changing rooms. Chris raised an eyebrow at Rarity.

"Everything okay in there?" Rarity asked.

"Yes," Twilight called, doing a good job of sounding cheery. Rarity shrugged at the others and they went back to what they were doing. A few moments later the curtain was pulled back and Twilight stepped out, looking troubled.

"You okay?" Applejack asked.

"The Fall Formal isn't happening tonight," Twilight said.

"WHAT?!" Pinkie shrieked.

"It had to be postponed because Sunset Shimmer had Snips and Snails ruin all of Pinkie Pie's decorations."

"WHAT?!"

"But the Fall Formal has to happen tonight."

"WHA-" Applejack's had slapped over Pinkie's mouth before she could scream again. Applejack herself raised an eyebrow at Twilight.

Twilight took a deep breath. Chris had an idea about what she was going to say and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Twilight gave him a grateful and faced the girls.

"You see…" she began.

Then Pinkie Pie said, "You're from an alternate world and you're a pony princess there and the crown actually has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements, and without it they don't work anymore, and you need them all to help protect your magical world, and if you don't get the crown tonight, you'll be stuck in this world and you won't be able to get back for, like, a really, really long time!" She finished her high speed spiel with a wide smile. Chris was dimly aware of his jaw hanging open as his brain struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that isn't the reason," she said.

"Nope, she's pretty much spot on," Spike said.

"He can talk?!" Rarity cried, clutching her head.

"Oh yeah," Spike said. "And back where I come from, I'm not even a dog. I'm a ferocious fire breathing dragon!" Spike looked very pleased with himself after that proclamation. Chris was tempted to point out he was as far from ferocious as things got. Fluttershy shoved Pinkie and Rarity to the side, looking as though her wildest dreams had come true.

"This is… so amazing," she gasped. She got on her hands and knees in front of Spike. "Tell me, what are you thinking right now?" she asked.

Spike looked a little concerned as Fluttershy's beaming face pushed up against his. Then he looked up at Rarity, who was still aghast. "Sure would love a scratch behind the old ears," he said, sitting by Rarity's foot.

"Gah…" was all Rarity managed.

"Uh, maybe later," Spike decided.

"How'd you know all that?" Twilight asked Pinkie. Pinkie shrugged.

"Just a hunch."

"The hell it was," Chris said. "You got everything spot on. Well except for the 'stuck here for a really long time part'. Technically it's only thirty moons, which is about two and a half years."

"Wait a minute!" Applejack cried. "Lemme get this straight. You're a _pony_?"

"You're a princess?" Rarity asked, still looking stunned.

"You're from another world?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight gulped and nodded nervously.

"That… is… awesome!" Rainbow yelled. The girls all moved forward, chattering excitedly.

"See?" Spike said. "Told ya."

Then Rarity turned to Chris. "What about you Chris?" she asked. "Are you a, uh… pony too?"

"Nope. I'm still a human in Equestria."

"Equestria?" everyone asked. Chris sighed.

"We'll explain. We should head over to the school. I want to see what Snips and Snails did to the gym."

* * *

The answer was, they wrecked it. Torn streamers were scattered across the floor, overturned tables and chairs lay everywhere and the disco ball had been broken almost in half.

"I simply cannot believe they did all this," Rarity said.

"If I only had some kind of Party Cannon that could decorate everything super-fast," Pinkie said.

"If I only had those two pipsqueaks in front of me…" Chris growled.

"I know it seems impossible," Twilight said. "But maybe if we all work together…?"

"Now that's the kind of can-do spirit Ah'm lookin' for in a Fall Formal Princess," Applejack said. "Let's do it y'all."

"Absolutely," said Rarity.

"Rock on," said Rainbow.

"Yes indeedily," said Pinkie.

"Let's get going," said Chris.

"Yay," Fluttershy cheered quietly.

Twilight smiled. With her friends help her, this would be a breeze.

* * *

**Oh my gosh we're almost finished. The next chapter will be the last one of the Equestria Girls arc. Then it's back to some original story-lines.**

**Favourite****, follow, review and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25: The Fall Formal

Chris had expected fixing up the gym to take ages. And it seemed like it was going to. Twilight had passed out some brooms and they'd all started sweeping up torn streamers and popped balloons. Then, when Twilight had been struggling to move a broken table, a pair of guys had shown up and helped out. As time wore on more and more students showed up, lending a hand wherever they could. Before Chris knew it, the gym was looking as good as it had before. He, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were standing on the stage, arms around each other's shoulders as the last decorations were put in place. No one was smiling wider than Pinkie.

"This… looks… sooooo… GOOD!" she cried, jumping for joy. A loud clapping came from the door, where Celestia and Luna stood, both looking very proud.

"All right, everyone!" Celestia said. "Fall Formal is back on for this evening." Everyone in the hall cheered wildly. "So you'd better get out of here and get ready," Celestia continued. "Oh and don't forget to cast your ballots for the Fall Formal Princess on your way out."

As the students left the hall they slipped their votes into the box held by Luna. Many of them assured Twilight she had their votes, each one making Twilight smile a little wider.

* * *

"I still can't believe we pulled that off," Fluttershy said as they walked back into Carousel Boutique.

"I can," Rainbow said. "We're awesome."

"You know she has a point," Chris said. "We are pretty awesome."

"Enough chatter people," said Rarity, standing in front of them looking like an army commander. "We need to get ready, and we need to look fabulous!"

* * *

"So, why exactly did you have a suit in your bag Chris?" Rarity asked as Chris did up his tie.

"Meeting with some other princesses in Equestria," Chris explained as he pulled on the jacket. "A friend of mine wanted me to look my best."

"Oh, they sound very fashion conscious," Rarity said. Chris laughed.

"Yeah, I think you'd like them," he said. Heaven forbid two Rarities should ever meet, he thought.

* * *

"How did you manage to get a limo?" Chris asked Rarity as the girls filed into the elongated black sedan. Every one of them looked spectacular in their dresses. Even Spike was decked out in a little bow tie and top hat.

Rarity shrugged. "I know some people who owe me a favour or two. It's all about knowing the right strings to pull really."

Chris grinned. "You are one manipulative woman Rarity."

"Oh you're too kind."

* * *

The Formal was going full swing. Music thumped out of the speaker's as Flash Sentry's band played up on stage. Coloured lights filled the gym and everyone was rocking out.

"Anybody seen Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight called over the music.

"Maybe she was too embarrassed to show," Rainbow suggested, still dancing. "She's gotta know you won by a landslide."

"Maybe…"

Flash ended the song on a final shredded note as Principal Celestia walked on stage. She nodded to the lighting guy and the normal lights came on.

"First off, I wanna say how wonderful everything looks tonight," Celestia said. "You all did a magnificent job pulling things together after the unfortunate events of earlier. And now, without further ado, I'd like to announce the winner of this year's Fall Formal crown." As she spoke Luna walked on stage, carrying a large wooden box. The lid opened, revealing Twilight's crown. Luna handed Celestia a small envelope. "The Princess of this year's Fall Formal is..." Celestia paused for effect. "Twilight Sparkle!"

The gym filled with cheers as everyone celebrated. Chris cheered along with them, applauding loudly as Twilight put Spike down and walked up on stage, stopping before Celestia.

"Congratulations Twilight," Celestia said, putting the crown on Twilight's head. A faint white glow surrounded the crown for just a second and Chris felt a faint shiver of magic going up his spine. He ignored it and stood with the others, smiling up at Twilight as she waved nervously to the crowd.

"Twilight! Help!"

Twilight's eyes widened and Chris whipped around. "Spike?" Twilight said. While Chris couldn't see anything through the crowds, Twilight clearly saw something. She jumped off the stage and yelled, "They've got Spike!" Chris took off, keeping on Twilight's tail as the crowd parted before her. She burst through the gym doors just as Snips and Snails rounded the corner at the end of the hall. She sprinted after them, moving too fast around the corner and sliding into the lockers. Chris had no such trouble, his shoes keeping their grip as he flew around the corner. He was dimly aware of the rest of the girls just behind him, but he kept his eyes on the two fleeing boys in front of him. He could see Spike being carried under Snips' arm. The chase went outside as Snips and Snails burst through a side door and sped around the corner, Chris hot on their heels. The boys ran across the lawn before turning sharply, heading down the drive. They passed the portal with Chris and the girls nearly caught up to them. Then Sunset Shimmer stepped out from behind the plinth, a sledge hammer in hand.

"That's close enough," she said, raising the hammer above her head. Everyone skidded to a halt a good distance away from her. Snips and Snails stood just behind her, still restraining Spike.

"Twilight!" he yelled, before Snails grabbed his muzzle.

"Don't hurt him," Twilight said.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," Sunset said. "I'm not a monster, Twilight." She looked back at Snips and Snails. "Let him go." Snips and Snails looked confused for a moment, before putting Spike back on the ground. He scampered over to Twilight, who dropped to her knees and hugged him. "You don't belong here," Sunset said. "Give me the crown, and you can go back to Equestria tonight. Or keep it and never go home." She raised the hammer above her head again, cementing her threat. Twilight gasped in panic. "Tick-tock, Twilight," Sunset taunted. "We haven't got all night. The portal will be closing on its own in less than an hour. So, what's your answer?"

Twilight frowned, looked at her friends and took the crown off her head, biting her lip. Her face hardened as she made her decision.

"No," she said.

"What?!" Sunset cried. "Equestria! Your friends! Lost to you forever! Don't you see what I'm about to do to the portal?!"

Twilight got to her feet. "Yes, but I've also seen what you've been able to do here without magic. Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony. This place might not, if I allow it to fall into your hands. So go ahead. Destroy the portal. You are not getting this crown!" She jammed the crown back on her head with a defiant glare at Sunset.

Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said, raising the hammer above her head. "You win." The hammer fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Twilight looked surprised and let out a heavy sigh. Rainbow walked up to her side, a huge smile on her face. "You… are… so… awesome!" she squealed, squishing her cheeks together.

"Ah can't believe you were gonna do that for us," Applejack said, slapping Twilight on the back.

"It's no wonder you're a real live princess," Rarity said. Sunset, meanwhile, was growing angrier with every sentence spoken. Finally she could take no more.

"Oh, yes, she's so very special!" She yelled. She charged at Twilight, knocking them both to the ground. The crown came off Twilight's head and bounced away. Twilight pushed Sunset away, but Sunset grabbed her and pulled her back before climbing over her. Twilight grabbed her boot and pulled, struggling as Sunset tried to crawl forward, her hand only inches from the crown. Then Spike jumped on her head, grabbed the crown in his mouth and ran off. Sunset growled. "Grab him you fools!" she yelled at Snips and Snails, goading them into action. They took off, quickly gaining on Spike. Sunset charged between them, knocking them to the ground. They quickly got to their feet and followed, everyone else right behind them. Spike hopped up the stairs and jumped at the school's front doors, trying to open them. A shadow fell over him and he turned as Sunset stalked closer, hands out to grab the crown.

"Spike! Spike!" Rainbow yelled from the bottom of the stairs, waving her hands in the air. Spike saw her plan and tossed the crown as hard as he could. It flew past Sunset and was plucked out of the air by Rainbow in an impressive flip. Snips ran up and grabbed at the crown but Rainbow pulled it from his hands. Snails ran up but was stopped by Rainbow's hand against his face. Rainbow looked around for an open player. "Fluttershy!" she called, tossing the crown. Fluttershy turned, just barely catching the crown, and caught sight of Sunset, Snips and Snails charging towards her. Fear froze her in place as the three drew closer. Applejack saw and pulled out a lasso, skilfully roping Fluttershy and pulling her out of harm's way. Fluttershy's grip on the crown slipped as she was pulled aside, sending it up into the air to be caught by Snips. Pinkie's hand reached from behind him and plucked the crown away and passing it to Applejack. Snips and Snails ran after it and Applejack tossed it to Rarity, who tossed it to Chris, who tossed it to Twilight, who panicked and tossed it wildly. It flew high through the air, straight into Sunset Shimmer's hands.

"I'll take that!" she said. She giggled evilly as she raised the crown. "At last. More power than I could ever imagine!" She placed the crown on her head and it started to glow. The glow was wrong though, it was sickly black and blue instead of white. There was a flash and Sunset grabbed the crown as it started emanating electric blue rings around her body. There was another flash and a shockwave blasted from where she stood, a pillar of blue and black flame stretching up into the sky. Unnatural clouds grew out of the pillar as Sunset rose into the air. Another flash, brighter than the first two, and the pillar was gone. In its place hovered Sunset Shimmer in the form of a monstrous she-demon. Her skin had turned red and a pair of bat-like wings grew from her back. Her hair stood on end, resembling flames. Her ears were long and pointed and her teeth and nails had sharpened into fangs and claws.

"Did you know the crown could do that?" Chris asked Twilight while Sunset marvelled at her new form. Twilight shook her head, glaring up at Sunset.

Sunset herself quickly began experiment with her new-found power. Beams of blue-black magic shot from her hands, enveloping Snips and Snails. With a flash they too changed into demons.

"This is gonna be so cool," Snips said gleefully.

Panicked screams caught Chris's attention as several students fled from the school. Sunset turned and leered at them as they cowered behind the glass doors.

"I've had to jump through so many hoops tonight just to get my hands on this crown," she said, "and it really should have been mine all along." She growled furiously for a moment, then smiled evilly. "But let's let bygones be bygones. I am your princess now, and you will be loyal to me!" Her hand glowed electric blue as the front wall of the school was reduced to rubble and tossed aside. The students screamed and started running as she flew inside.

"Got any ideas Twilight?" Chris asked while Sunset was distracted.

"No, you?"

"Unfortunately not." Chris watched as magic surged from Sunset, entrancing all the students in the school.

"Spoiler alert," she said, flying back outside. "I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal. I don't want to rule this pathetic little high school; I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I'm going to get it!"

"No. you're not," Twilight said defiantly. The wind blew fiercely as Sunset hovered above her.

"Oh please," Sunset said. "What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have nothing!"

"She has us," Rainbow said. She and the rest of the girls ran up, standing with Chris and Twilight. Sunset just laughed.

"Gee, the gang really is all back together again," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Now step aside!" A ball of fire bloomed between her hands. "Twilight has tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!" The fireball grew larger and Sunset hurled it at Twilight. Everyone jumped in, trying hopelessly the protect Twilight. With an explosion and a flash of red light the ball impacted. Sunset laughed maniacally, then did a double take. "What?!"

A sparkling purple-pink aura was surrounding the six girls. Chris stepped back as the girls joined hands and a look of exhilaration came over Twilight.

"The magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it!" she cried. The crown on Sunset's head glowed pure white and a stream of purple light flying out and surrounding the girls, lifting them into the air.

"Well this ought to be interesting," Chris said to himself.

* * *

"Yep, that was certainly interesting," Chris said, brushing a small bit of dust off his shoulder. He walked over to Twilight, who was only just regaining consciousness and giving Spike a hug. He offered a hand, grinning widely. "I have to say, I loved the light-show. The wings and ears are a nice touch too." Twilight took his hand and helped her to her feet. "Although you may have gone a little overboard," Chris finished, looking over at the newly formed crater right in front of the school. A thin trail of smoke rose from it. Twilight frowned suspiciously and walked to the edge, the others behind her. At the bottom of the crater was Sunset Shimmer, returned to her normal form, struggling to her hands and knees.

"You will never rule in Equestria," Twilight said, her voice strong and powerful. "Any power you may have had in this world is gone. Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart." As she spoke the other students gathered around the edge of the crater, gazing down at the fallen girl. Sunset raised her head, and Chris was shocked to see tears streaming down her face.

"I-I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way."

"The magic of friendship doesn't just exist in Equestria." Twilight turned and beamed at her friends. "It's everywhere. You can seek it out. Or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours." She looked over her shoulder as Sunset struggled out of the crater.

"But... But all I've ever done since being here is drive everyone apart" Sunset said. "I don't know the first thing about friendship." Surprised flashed over her face as Twilight bent down and grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet.

"I bet they can teach you," Twilight said, gesturing to the other girls.

"Those are my girls," Spike cheered suddenly. "Woo-hoo!" The guy standing next to him looked down in surprise.

"Did that dog just talk?" he asked. "Whoa. Weird."

Chris and Spike looked at him incredulously. "Seriously?!" said Spike. "The talking dog is the weird thing about all this?"

"Compared to all the other stuff you've seen tonight, that's pretty normal," Chris said.

"And I for one, think he's adorable," Rarity said as she picked Spike up and started scratching behind his ears.

"Oh yeah," Spike sighed.

Twilight smiled as Celestia walked up behind her. "I believe this belongs to you," Celestia said, holding up the crown. Twilight knelt as she continued, "A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her." Celestia placed the crown on Twilight's head. "We have all seen that you are capable of just that. I hope you see it too, Princess Twilight." Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded.

"I do," she said.

She got to her feet and the crowd broke out into cheers. "Would now be a completely awkward time to ask you for that dance?" Flash asked from behind her. She turned and Flash offered his hand. Twilight looked over at Chris, who shrugged.

"We've got time," he said. Twilight giggled and took Flash's hand.

* * *

That evening was remembered for years as the best Fall Formal Canterlot High had had in a very long time. Everyone was up and throwing out their best moves. However, the undisputed king and queen of the dance floor was Chris and Pinkie. Twilight laughed as they danced across the room, the crowd cheering as they moved in almost impossible synchrony. It seemed that, no matter which world Chris was in, he and Pinkie possessed an uncanny and unparalleled dancing ability.

Eventually though, all good things must come to an end, and after far too short a time for Twilight she and Chris were standing before the portal, hugging their new friends good bye.

"You'll look out for her, won't you?" Twilight asked, noticing Sunset half-hiding behind the ruined front wall of the school.

"Of course we will," Rarity said. "Although I do expect some sort of apology for last spring's debacle."

"I have a feeling she'll be handing out a lot of apologies," Twilight said.

"I have a feeling she'll want to hand them out," Chris said.

"We'd better get going," Spike said. Twilight nodded.

"I know we've only been friends for a short time," she said to the girls, "but I'm gonna miss all of you so much." Twilight gave a short sigh and turned away walking to the portal.

"That crown really does suit you, Princess Twilight," Spike said with a wink. Chris sniggered as Twilight smiled.

"You know what, Spike? I am starting to feel a little more comfortable wearing it."

"And the wings?" Chris asked, poking one.

"I've been walking on two legs and picking things up with these!" Twilight raised her hands. "Wings? I'm thrilled that's all I'll be dealing with back in Equestria!"

Chris laughed as they stepped back through the portal in a flash of light. The journey back was far easier than the journey there and Chris stepped out of the mirror without a problem. Unfortunately he ran into Twilight, sending them both tumbling to the ground with a thud.

"Oh, Twilight! Chris!" Chris looked up from the ground at the pony version of Rainbow Dash hovering above them, wearing massive smile.

"You're back!" she cheered as he and Twilight got to their respective feet and hooves.

"You've got your crown," Rarity said as she ran over.

"I knew you could do it," Pinkie said, wrapping them both in a hug.

Applejack wiped away a tear of joy. "Oh, we were so worried," she said.

"Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said. "Is she alright."

"I think she's gonna be fine. We left her in good hands."

"And I think your last student is finally learning something new Princess," Chris said. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. There was a flash and Spike popped out of the mirror, bouncing off Twilight's flank. He wiggled his claws and smiled, glad to be a dragon again.

* * *

"Where did you stay?"

"What did they wear?"

"Did ya have fun?"

"What'd ya eat?"

"Would you say she's just as awesome as me?"

Twilight sighed at her friends relentless questioning as they walked through the halls of the Crystal Castle. "I want to tell you all everything, I do, but I'm just so exhausted from all the dancing."

"Dancing?!"

Twilight looked over her shoulder and, as a result, ran straight into a guard. The same guard she'd run into when they'd first arrived in the Crystal Empire. A guard who now looked… weirdly familiar.

He smiled at Twilight and helped her to her hooves. "We've got to stop bumping into each other like this," he said as he walked away. Chris and Twilight stared after him, not quite believing it.

"Who was that?" Twilight asked Cadance.

"He's a new member of the castle guard," Cadance said. "Flash Sentry, I think. Why? Do you know him?"

"Not exactly," Twilight said fondly.

"Oooh! Somepony's got a crush on the new guy!" Applejack teased.

"No. No, I don't," Twilight said quickly. Rarity gasped.

"She does! She absolutely does!" she sang.

"Don't be ridiculous," Twilight said. "I don't even know him. He just..." Pinkie picked up the sentence.

"Totally reminds you of a guy you met in the other world who played guitar, was in a band, and helped prove you didn't destroy all the decorations for a big dance, so you could still run for princess of the big dance, and then asked you to dance at that dance?!" She inhaled deeply. "Right?"

Chris, Twilight and Spike shared a look. "How'd you know that?" Twilight asked.

"Just a hunch!" Pinkie grinned widely and bounced away.

"No it damn well wasn't Pinkie," Chris yelled after her. "You come back here and explain how you knew that. Pinkie. Pinkie!"

Twilight rolled her eyes as Chris chased Pinkie down the hall. Things were back to normal in Equestria.

* * *

**Hooray, finally done with this! Oh goodness now I need a rest.**

**Yes I skipped the friendship-rainbow-cannon part. Chris would have played no part in it so I didn't see the point in witting it out.**

**The next chapter will be back to original stories. Starting with Chris meeting Discord. See you then.**


	26. Chapter 26: An Unusual Tea Party

**Bit of a short chapter this time. I just wanted something of Chris meeting Discord for the first time.**

* * *

Chris hummed as he strolled down the path that led to Fluttershy's cottage with his satchel over his shoulder. Twilight had asked him to deliver a book to her and Chris, having nothing better to do, had accepted. The book was a reasonably thick tome on obscure herbal remedies. Fluttershy had been searching for it for a while and Twilight had ordered it in for her, using her connections with the various book retailers across Equestria.

Chris frowned as he crossed over the little bridge outside Fluttershy's grass-covered home. The usually abundant critters that Fluttershy looked after were nowhere to be seen. Shrugging it off, Chris walked up to the door and knocked. There was a loud clatter from inside, the door opened, and Chris found himself staring at one of the strangest creatures he had ever seen. It was like someone had taken a bunch of leftovers from other animals and shoved them into one being. It was tall and had a thin, serpentine body. Its head was vaguely horse-like, with a single sharp fang, a white goatee and large, bushy eyebrows. Its eyes were yellow, its red pupils different sizes. Atop its head was a deer antler and a blue goat-like horn. A short cut black mane ran down the back of its neck. Dust coloured fur covered its head and neck, changing to a dark chestnut over its body. It had the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat as well as a wing of a bat and a wing of a pegasus. Its tail was dragon-like, with red scales and a white tuft on the end.

"Well hello there," he said with a charming smile. The voice was deep and obviously masculine. "You must be the new resident I've been hearing all about. I'm sorry I haven't been able to pop in and say hello but Celestia has been keeping me _so_ busy."

"Uh, right," Chris said, feeling wary. "Who are you exactly?"

"What?" the creature said, looking shocked. There was a white flash and suddenly he was holding Fluttershy. "Fluttershy have you really not told your new friend about me?"

"Oh, well I guess I just… forgot," Fluttershy said. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

The creature attempted to look cross for a few more seconds before succumbing to Fluttershy's puppy-dog eyes. "Oh I can't stay made at you," he said, giving her a hug and then dropping her. "I suppose introductions are in order," he said to Chris. "I am Discord the, recently reformed, spirit of chaos and disharmony."

"Right…" Chris said. "Anyway, Fluttershy here's that book you wanted." He pulled the tome out of his satchel and passed it to Fluttershy.

"Oh, thank you Chris," Fluttershy said as she took the book. "Would you like to come in and have some tea?"

"What a great idea Fluttershy," Discord said. "What better way for us to get to know each other." He grinned at Chris and made a sweeping bow. Chris frowned, feeling cautious around this strange creature.

"Sure, why not?" he said, walking inside.

* * *

Chris delicately sipped his tea as he sat on his chair, upside down on the ceiling, an epitome of calm. "I must say Chris," said Discord, sitting across from him, "you're taking all this chaos rather well. Far better than Celestia or Luna ever did."

Chris shrugged. "Maybe I'm just a natural." A teapot hopped across the table between them and refilled Chris's cup. Chris gave it a scratch behind the handle, eliciting a happy whistle from the animated tableware. It hopped away and refilled Fluttershy's cup. "Besides," Chris said. "I'm still being surprised by some things I find out here. A tea party on the ceiling isn't all that out of the way."

"Oh really," Discord said in a sly voice. "What about… in a hot tub?" He clicked his fingers and in a flash they were back on the floor, submerged in a hot tub. Chris just took another sip of his tea. "… Filled with chocolate pudding." Another snap, another flash and the tub was filled with sweet chocolate pudding. Chris still didn't react. "… On the moon." Chris looked up idly at the blue and green planet floating far above them. He actually looked a bit bored. Discord grit his teeth and snapped his fingers again and again. Underwater, the middle of the desert, on the back of a stampeding buffalo, on a cloud, filling the tub with brie, cider, syrup, tapioca pudding and warm apple pies. Each time Chris seemed completely uninterested. Eventually Discord put them back in Fluttershy's house and vanished the hot tub. He was panting heavily and glaring across the table at Chris. Fluttershy wobbled a little in her chair, looking disorientated from the rapid changes in location.

"What does it take with you?" Discord asked. "I tried everything I could think of and you just sit there. Honestly." He huffed and crossed his arms. Chris put down his, now empty cup and stood.

"Well this has been fun," he said, "but I have to get going. See you both later."

Fluttershy waved as he walked out the door. Discord huffed again.

* * *

"Oh good, you're back," Twilight said as she walked down the stairs. "What took you so long? Did you get lost on the way to Fluttershy's?"

"Nah," Chris said as he took off his satchel with a devilish grin. "I just got distracted messing with the god of chaos. He's a hoot."

* * *

**Naughty, naughty Chris. Playing tricks on Discord.**

**Press the favourite and follow buttons. The ones down there. Yes those ones, press them. Did you press them? Good, I thought you would.**


	27. Chapter 27: Joke's On You

"Bye Zecora," Chris called as he waved over his shoulder. "It was nice meeting you." The zebra shaman waved back and went back inside her hut. "She was nice," he said to Twilight. "The rhyming was a bit odd though. I wonder why she does it."

"I don't know," Twilight said, adjusting her saddlebags. "I've never asked."

"Huh. Anyway, did you get everything you needed for your potions?"

"Most of it. Some of the herbs I need Zecora doesn't keep with her. We'll need to go find them ourselves." Twilight's saddlebags opened and a scroll was levitated out. "She drew me a map and marked where we should find the things I need."

"Alright then. What's first on the list?"

"Tickle Ivy."

"I assume it does exactly what you'd think it does."

"Pretty much."

* * *

"Ok, that's the Slapping Lilly done," Chris said. The side of his face was a bit red, thanks to the squirming little plant in the bottle he was holding. "I can see why Zecora doesn't keep that one in her house."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed, rubbing her cheek. "Anyway, that just leaves one more. The Trumpeter Orchid."

Chris groaned. "That one sounds loud."

"That helps us," Twilight said as she studied the map. "We'll be able to hear it long before we see it. According to the map it should be in this direction."

Twilight turned out to be correct. After only a few minutes' walk the flower's trumpeting could be heard through the trees. It sounded as though someone was blowing as hard as they could on a bugle, without any care for how badly they were playing. A little while later Chris and Twilight pushed their way through a bush and locked eyes on their quarry; a small, purple flower that was flailing about making an awful racket. The only problem was the ditch.

"That's inconvenient," Chris said. The ditch lay between them and the flower, too wide to jump across. It seemed to stretch far in either direction, ruling out going around it. Chris and Twilight carefully walked up to the edge and leaned out.

"Can you see a way down?" Chris asked. Then, with a loud crunch, the ground beneath them gave out. With a small yelp they lurched forward and fell, crashing through the foliage as they tumbled down the slope. Fortunately the ditch wasn't too deep and they hit the bottom relatively softly.

"Ow," Twilight moaned, picking herself up.

"Indeed," Chris said, hauling himself to his feet with a tree. "I don't think anything's broken. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit of bruising. Still, that's one way to get down."

"Now how do we get up the other side?"

Twilight shrugged. "Clamber?"

And clamber they did. Eventually they reached the top, exhausted and dirty, but pleased. Twilight wasted no time in plucking the ever-tooting blossom and shoving it into a sound-proofed jar.

"Now that that's over with," Chris said. "Let's go home. I want a bath."

* * *

Twilight slowly awoke the next day, feeling a little woozy. She hadn't slept well at all. Her dream had been really weird. She'd been tumbling down an endless hill while plants slapped, tickled and trumpeted at her. She dragged herself out of bed and made her way over to her dresser, eyebrows raising at her reflection. Her hair was a tangled mess, evidently she'd been tossing and turning all night. Sighing, she levitated her hairbrush and began the task of detangling her hair. A few brushes later, her eyes widened in shock. Her horn was floppy, hanging limply over her forehead, and covered in blue spots. The hairbrush fell to the floor with a clatter. _Poison joke,_ she thought instantly. _But when did that happen? I don't remember seeing any yesterday._ The image of her tumbling down the hill flashed into her head again. "There must have been some growing in that ditch," she said aloud. "But that means-"

The rest of her thought was cut off by a panicked scream. "Chris," she said, galloping for the stairs. She raced down the hall and burst through the door to Chris's room, skidding to a stop when she saw the scene inside. Across the room from her, staring into the mirror, dressed in Chris's pyjamas, was a unicorn stallion, his coat and mane a very familiar dirty blonde. He saw Twilight in the mirror and whipped around, nearly tripping over the ill-fitting pyjamas.

"Twilight!" Chris yelled, eyes wide. "What the hell's going on?!"

Twilight's eye twitched.

* * *

It had taken several minutes to get Chris to calm down, and longer to get him out of the pyjamas. Explaining their situation was a lot easier.

"So you're saying," Chris growled as he wobbled on his hooves, "that a flower did this?"

"Yes, Poison Joke," Twilight said. "We probably crashed through some when we fell down the ditch yesterday."

"Right." He tried to take a step and wobbled dangerously. "Please tell me there's a cure."

Twilight nodded. "It's a herbal bath. They actually sell it at the spa because of how soothing it is."

"Well then let's get going then." There was a knock on the door downstairs. "Oh what now?"

"I'll go get it," Twilight said. "You stay here and uh… try to figure out your new legs."

Chris grumbled as she left the room and went downstairs. She opened the door and was surprised to see Rainbow Dash standing there, looking worried.

"Hey Twilight," Rainbow said. "Is everything okay? I was flying past and…" Her eyes locked onto Twilight's horn and she grinned. "Poison Joke?"

"Yep," Twilight said. "Anyway what were you saying?"

"Oh right. Apparently there was some yelling coming from the library a little while ago. I thought I should stop by and check it out. Is everything alright?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes everything's fine. Chris got caught in the Poison Joke too and he sorta freaked out."

"Really? What'd it do to him?" Rainbow asked.

"Well…" Twilight was interrupted by a yelp, followed by several thumps and a crash. She looked over her shoulder and Rainbow looked around the door. Chris was lying at the bottom of the stairs, groaning in pain.

"Who's that?" Rainbow asked as he tried to pick himself up.

"It's me you flying skittle," Chris snapped.

"Chris?!" Rainbow stared for a moment, sniggered, and then burst out laughing, collapsing to the floor. Twilight rolled her eyes and trotted over to Chris, helping back to his hooves.

"Thank you," he grumbled, glaring daggers at Rainbow. Rainbow choked back her laughter and wiped her eyes.

"Hey Twilight," Spike yawned, appearing at the top of the stairs. "Did you drop something? And who's that?"

Chris's frown deepened and Twilight quickly took the question. "It's Chris. We fell through some Poison Joke yesterday and it turned him into a pony."

Spike started to giggle and Chris shot him a glare that could have frozen hell. "Uh… I mean, that's rough."

Chris grumbled.

"Come on Chris," Twilight said. "Let's just get to the spa and get back to normal."

"Fine. How do you lot coordinate four limbs at a time?" he asked as he took a few unsteady steps forward. "This is ridiculous. Flaming… blasted…"

"Hey look," Rainbow said, hovering over Chris. "You even have a cutie mark."

"Whoop-dee-doo," Chris snapped.

"What's it meant to be?" Rainbow said, ignoring Chris. "Some sort of techno-thingy?"

Chris sighed irritably and looked back at his flank. On it was a black rounded rectangle, outlined in white, tilted so it looked like it was standing on its corner. In the middle of the rectangle was an oval, also outlined in white. The inside of the oval was divided into four pieces, one red, one yellow, one blue and one green. Chris raised an eyebrow.

"It looks like a wild card," he said.

"A what?" Twilight asked.

"A wild card. It's from a card game from my world, Uno."

Rainbow gave him a questioning frown. "So what's it mean?"

Chris huffed. "I don't know. I don't much care either. I just want to get back to normal as soon as possible."

Rainbow had to contain her laughter as Chris made his way across the room with trembling knees and an intense look of concentration. He sighed when he reached the door and reached for the handle. His hoof slipped off without gripping. "No bloody fingers," he growled under his breath. He tried again and, again, his hoof slipped. His frustration grew with each attempt until, finally, his patience snapped.

"Fine then!" he roared, stomping a hoof. He lowered his head, his horn glowing brightly. There was a flash of light and the door was reduced to kindling spread across the street. "Let's go," Chris growled, breathing heavily, and stomped out the door. Rainbow, Twilight and Spike stared at the where the door used to be, all of them shocked and a bit scared.

"Yikes," Rainbow said eventually. "He's in a really bad mood."

* * *

"Almost there," Twilight said. "Come on we're almost there." She wasn't sure if she was saying it to Chris or herself. This whole day had so far been exhausting and it was only ten o'clock. Chris was following behind her, eyes on his hooves. He'd gotten the hang of walking on four legs, but he still had to take it slow or he'd trip. His bad mood hadn't shifted though. Rainbow was flying above them, visibly frustrated by their slow pace.

"Twilight," a voice sang. "Oh Twilight." Twilight looked around and saw Rarity heading towards them. Chris looked too and groaned inwardly.

"Hello Rarity," said Twilight.

"Good Morning Twilight," Rarity said. "Who's this? A friend from Canterlot perhaps?" Her eyes practically shone with excitement.

"It's me Rarity. Chris."

Rarity was stunned. "Chris? But how-?" She caught sight of Twilight's horn. "Oh. Poison Joke?"

"Yep."

"You two must be heading to the spa then," Rarity surmised.

Twilight nodded. "I figured it would be a good idea to get us back to normal as soon as possible."

"Indeed," Rarity said. "Oh, what a curious cutie mark you have Chris." Chris groaned. "What's it supposed to be?"

"Apparently it's something from a card game," Rainbow said. "He called it a wild card."

"How unusual. I wonder what it could mean."

Chris sighed in frustration. "I don't know. The wild card is a game changer, maybe that's it. Or maybe I can screw up my opponent's plan really well. Or maybe it's because I'm multi-talented."

"What do you mean?"

"Well in Uno the wild card can act as any colour card, so it can do lots of things. I can also do lots of things. I can cook, I'm good at magic, I'm good with clockwork stuff and I'm pretty smart."

"You're also a pretty good singer," Twilight put in. Chris gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. "You sing pretty much every time you take a shower."

"There you go. Multi-talented. That's what I'm sticking to. Now can we please just go to the spa already?"

* * *

"I'm sorry Miss Twilight," Lotus Blossom said, "but we don't have any of that bath left."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. Behind her Chris was staring at the spa pony in disbelief.

Lotus nodded. "Very sure. We ran out of all the ingredients for it a few days ago."

"What?!" Chris shouted.

"We won't get any more in for at least another week."

"WHAT?!" His eye was twitching.

"If you really need that bath you'll have to go and talk to Zecora."

"But – it – fffffff-" Chris ignited, his mane and tail erupting into azure fire, his eyes glowing with white light. For few seconds he hovered in the air, burning his temper out, while everypony stared up at him. Then he fizzled out and dropped back to the floor.

"Oh forget it," he sighed. "Let's just go to Zecora's."

Twilight helped him to his hooves and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Is he having a bad day?" Lotus asked Rainbow Dash.

"Like you wouldn't believe," she replied.

* * *

**The reason I didn't include any part of Zecora talking in this is because her dialogue looks like a colossal pain to write. I have no idea how the writers for the show do it.**

**And yes this was just an excuse to make Chris a pony. So what?**

**You**** know the drill. Favourite, follow, review and thanks for reading.**


	28. Chapter 28: Through the Everfree

Rarity was blushing furiously. She could feel the heat in her cheeks. She couldn't help it. The group was currently making their way through the Everfree Forest, with Twilight in the lead, Chris in the middle, Rainbow Dash flying overhead and Rarity bringing up the rear. This proved to be an uncomfortable place for Rarity to be. She hadn't noticed it when Chris was human, but now the subtle swaying of his hips whenever he took a step kept catching her eye. The motion sent his tail rippling back and forth over his flank, where Rarity could see the muscles flexing and contracting with every movement-.

SLAP!

"Uh, Rarity?" Rainbow asked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes I'm fine," Rarity said as she rubbed her cheek where she'd smacked herself. "It was a, uh… bug. On my face."

Rainbow shrugged and went back to flying. Rarity released a shaky sigh. _Come on this is ridiculous,_ she thought. _You're not even the same species. It's only a superficial attraction to the physical features of the body he's currently occupying. Once he's changed back to normal everything will be fine._

Meanwhile, up ahead, Chris was oblivious to Rarity's issues. "I think I'm finally getting the hang of this," he said, trying not to stare at his hooves. As such he didn't notice the small patch of damp grass until he put a hoof on it. The hoof slipped and both front legs flew out from under him, planting his face on the ground. This had the unfortunate side-effect of his rump being raised into the air, right in front of the already conflicted Rarity.

"Oh uh haha, I just remembered," she said, holding back her blush through sheer force of will. "I left the stove on at home. Gotta run bye!"

"That was weird," Twilight said as Rarity dashed off.

Chris picked himself up and said, "Probably too much dirt around for her." Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, you're right. That was a bit mean."

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "You've had a tough day. I'll let it slide."

"Yeah plus you were thinking it too," Rainbow said.

"I – shut up." Twilight turned away and stalked off. Chris grinned up at Rainbow and trotted after her. For several more minutes they travelled in silence. Chris glanced around at the trees, feeling uneasy.

"Does anyone else think it's… too quiet?" he asked.

"I was just thinking that," Twilight said. She looked up at Rainbow Dash. "Can you see anything up there Rainbow?"

"Nothing," Rainbow said. "This quiet is really creeping me out. Hang on a second. I think I can smell something."

Chris took a sniff of the air and grimaced. Whatever it was it smelled foul. And it was getting stronger.

"I don't like the look of this," he said.

"Me neither. It smells familiar though," Twilight said.

The smell quickly got worse, thick and choking. Then something else came. Faint at first, but getting louder by the second. Deep, rumbling thumps, like giant footsteps.

"Oh dear," Twilight whimpered.

"What?" The crashing and creaking of foliage had joined the thunderous footsteps.

"I just remembered where I'd smelled that before."

There was a booming thud and the trees ahead of them crashed to the ground, revealing a huge monster towering above them. Its body was round and covered in brown scales, its legs short and stubby. Four heads rose high above them on four sinuous, snake-like necks. Four pairs of eyes locked onto them with malicious intent and four fang filled mouths unleashed a stench laden roar.

"A hydra!" Twilight yelled.

"What do we do Twilight?!" Rainbow yelled, terrified.

"I don't know!"

"Let me handle this," Chris said, completely calm. Then, defying all common sense, he strode forward and waved up to the hydra. "Hello," he called. "Excuse me." The hydra stared at him, confused, and lowered its heads slightly. "Hi there," Chris said with a smile. "I feel that we've got off on the wrong foot, er, hoof. But I've had a bit of a bad day, so I would appreciate it if you would just leave us be and got about your business. 'Kay?" The hydra replied with a ground shaking roar that threatened to throw Chris back. "Fine then. Have it your way," he said, losing the smile. The hydra's heads reared up, preparing to strike, and Chris's horn started to glow. A sky blue aura surrounded the hydra and its triumphant expression quickly changed to confusion as it was slowly lifted into the air. Twilight stared in amazement as the hydra lifted higher. Chris's horn was glowing painfully bright, his teeth gritted and brow furrowed. The hydra stopped rising and hung there for a few moments. Then Chris flicked his head forward in a violent motion, propelling the hydra into the ground, only to be instantly lifted back up and slammed down again. And again. And again. Twilight's jaw hung slack as Chris continually pounded the hydra against the ground. Then he gave a grunt, tensed his muscles and tossed his head upwards, hurtling the hydra towards the sky. The glow of his horn faded, and for a second or two he stood there, looking up at the sky and panting heavily. Then he looked back at the girls, both of whom were staring at him in disbelief.

"Shall we continue?" he said. The hydra hit the ground behind him with an almighty crash, spirals in its eyes.

"Uh…" Twilight managed.

"Wow…" Rainbow said.

Chris shrugged, getting his breath under control. "Too much?"

"You... really needed to let your frustration out didn't you?" Twilight said.

* * *

"Twilight my dear, back so soon? To see you again is surely a boon," Zecora said when she opened the door to her hut. Twilight gave a tired smile.

"It's good to see you again too Zecora. But I'm afraid it's not a social call." She gestured to her horn, still floppy and riddled with spots.

"Ah I see what has happened here. Poison joke again, my dear?"

"Yep. But I think I got the better end of the stick." Twilight stepped aside and Chris waved.

"Hi Zecora," he said. Zecora's eyes widened.

"Oh my, Chris is that you? This is something I've never seen that plant do. However there is a question that bothers me still. Can you not get a cure in Ponyville?"

"The spa's all out of the rights herbs," Chris explained. "They wouldn't have any new stock for at least a week."

"Ah now I see. Come, I shall make you the remedy."

A half hour later a large cauldron filled with brew sat bubbling away in the middle of the hut. Twilight used Zecora's stepladder to climb into the cauldron. Then she took a deep breath and stuck her head under the water. A few seconds later she re-emerged, her horn back to normal condition.

"You're turn Chris," she said as she pulled herself out of the pot, taking the towel offered by Zecora. Chris stepped up onto the stepladder and gently lowered himself over the edge of the cauldron. The potion was delightfully warm and fragrant. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before ducking under the water. The others stared at the brew for a few seconds. Then the surface broke and Chris's human head popped up.

"Fingers!" he cheered, holding up his hands. "Beautiful, beautiful fingers." He kissed them, laughing in relief. The others laughed too as he leaned his head back with a contented sigh.

"You know," he said. "I just realised something."

"What?" Twilight asked. Maybe it was some sort of lesson about friendship?

"I'm naked in a cauldron," Chris said, dashing Twilight's hopes. "Can someone go get me some pants?"

The others burst out laughing. Chris raised an eyebrow. "No, I'd really appreciate some clothes please."

* * *

**Bit of a short chapter. I was expecting it to be a bit longer.**

**On a related and important note I'm thinking about doing some restructuring with the chapters. What I'm thinking about is putting all the chapters in one story arc (eg. Chapters 1-5, 6-7, 9-10 etc.) into one big chapter. I'll also be sticking to that in future, which will mean longer chapters, but maybe longer writing times as well. Give me your feedback. I'll make a note at the start of the next chapter if I do go through with it. Though you'll probably notice anyway.**

**Also I am not, I repeat NOT, going to be shipping Rarity and Chris under any circumstances. That was only a little joke at Rarity's expense. I have no intention for them to get together. Just thought I'd make that clear.**

**Another thing, related to what I said last chapter about writing Zecora's dialogue. Not actually as hard as I thought.**

**Favourite, follow and review. And another big thanks to everyone who already has.**


	29. Chapter 29: Flight

The horizon was barely beginning to glow with the light of the coming dawn as Ponyville's hireable hot air balloon rose into the sky. Chris gave the gas a tweak, steadying the ascent. He leaned over the edge of the basket as Ponyville dwindled below. He could see only a few ponies walking the streets, early risers in the crisp morning. He looked up and was pleased to see the balloon was right of target, heading for one of the few puffy white clouds that lingered in the sky. He'd gotten the weather schedule for the week off Rainbow Dash a few days earlier, and had decided that today would be the perfect day for a test run.

Before long the balloon was floating next to the cloud. Chris took a deep breath, trying to relax his nerves. The jittery feeling lessened somewhat. Chris carefully swung a leg over the side of the basket, then the other so he was sitting on the edge. Then, keeping a tight grip on the basket, he lowered himself til his feet were touching the cloud. When they didn't immediately pass through he put a little more weight on the cloud, which stayed encouragingly solid. He finally let go of the basket. His feet sunk into the cloud a little bit, but other than that it supported his weight.

"It worked," Chris said with a laugh. He bounced a little on the cloud, which was surprisingly springy.

"Hey Chris," a voice called. Chris looked over as a rainbow trail zipped over to him. "What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering above him. "And how are you standing on a cloud?"

Chris grinned. "Cloud walking spell. Twilight showed it to me and suggested I memorise it. Apparently it comes in handy. This is the first time testing it out."

"Oh yeah. I forgot she knew that spell. But why are you up this early?"

Chris shrugged. "I figured I could get a good view of the sunrise while I tested the spell. What are you up to?"

"Just finished arranging the clouds for today."

"Pull up a bit of cloud then," Chris said, sitting down.

Rainbow shrugged and landed on the cloud next to Chris, who lay back and sighed. "Oh this is nice." Rainbow laughed.

"Yep, clouds are the comfiest thing ever," she said, flopping back.

"Maybe I could get a cloud bed in the library. Probably be a bit of a hassle doing the cloud walking spell every night though."

"And what would happen if it wore off in the middle of the night?"

Chris winced. "Yeah maybe not such a good idea." Rainbow laughed. The two of them drifted off into companionable silence for a few minutes while the sky slowly lightened.

"Hey Rainbow?"

"Mm?"

"What's it like to fly?"

Rainbow sat up. "What do you mean?"

Chris sat up too. "I mean what's it like for you when you fly? How do you feel?"

Rainbow was silent for a bit as she thought. "It feels… amazing. I feel free of everything, like nothing can catch me when I'm in the air. The adrenaline, the wind, it's a hit that never loses its strength. And for me, flying is such a big part of my life. Do you know what happened the first time we fought Discord? With the maze?"

"Yeah Twilight told me about that. Discord took your wings away didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. And being grounded like that made me feel so… trapped. Like he'd taken part of who I was when he took my wings."

Chris nodded, not really understanding, but sympathising all the same. "Wow," he said. "That's surprisingly deep coming from you."

"Hey!" Rainbow said with a grin, throwing a mock punch. Chris ducked out of the way, lost his balance and, with a small yelp, tumbled over the edge of the cloud. Rainbow was frozen in shock for a couple of seconds.

"Chris!" She yelled, hurling herself over the edge of the cloud. Her wings pumped furiously, trying to catch up to Chris before he hit the ground. A small instinctive voice in the back of her head told her she wasn't going to make it, that her small hesitation had been too long.

Far below Chris had managed to right himself in mid-air and was trying to get his panic under control. His mind raced as the ground grew closer, spelling a painful and splattery demise – STOP PANICKING! Chris grabbed a hold of his unruly emotions and tied them down, forcing his brain to think. A single crazy idea presented itself to him and he grabbed it with both hands. Magic surged through him as he reached out to the air, pulled and twisted. A strong pillar of wind rushed up around him, arresting his movement metres from the ground. It then reversed his movement. Chris yelled again as the pillar propelled him upwards far faster than he'd been falling. Rainbow's eyes widened as Chris suddenly stopped and hurtled back into the air, colliding with her on the way up. The two of them screamed as they shot into the air, cannoned straight into the cloud, which exploded into mist. Slowly the mist cleared. The two of them were lying on the, now much smaller, cloud, groaning dizzily. Rainbow rolled off Chris and the two looked at each other. Then they burst out laughing.

"Let's not tell Twilight that happened," Chris said with a chuckle.

"Agreed," Rainbow said. "Oh Celestia, that was close. What did you do anyway?"

"Air manipulation. Using a super-strong updraft to stop my fall. I may have been a little overzealous with the power though."

"You think?" Rainbow said. Chris chuckled, then looked out at the horizon.

"Oh, look at that. The sun's coming up."

So it was. Chris lay his head down on the cloud and sighed as the first warming rays fell over them.

"That was definitely more exciting than I wanted this morning to be.

* * *

**The next day**

Chris peeked cautiously over the edge of the cloud as it rose higher into the sky. He swallowed. Ponies went about their mid-morning business in the quickly shrinking streets.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea Rainbow," he said.

"Come on Chris," Rainbow replied from beneath the cloud as she pushed in further into the sky. "You said yourself that this'll work."

"_Might. _I said it _might_ work. At no point did the word _will_ come into it."

"What could go wrong?"

"Apart from me hitting the ground and dying?"

Rainbow sighed and zipped out from underneath the cloud. "Chris you said you had a good idea on how to make this work-"

"Yes and I was going to say that I'd need some more time to fine tune it before you dragged me out here, stuck on me this cloud and flew me all the way up here." He looked over the edge again and shivered. "I can't do it, I'm not ready yet-"

"Look, Chris, I believe in you. I know you can do this. But this isn't something you can just sit in the library and think about. You actually need to get out there and do it. And if anything goes wrong I promise I'll be there to catch you."

Chris held Rainbow's gaze for a few seconds. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. "Alright then Rainbow. I'll give it a try."

"Awesome!" Rainbow cheered, before zipping back under the cloud and pushing Chris higher. Pretty soon they reached a height that seemed good.

"Alright this should be high enough," Rainbow said, zipping out from beneath the cloud. "You ready?"

Chris peered over the edge of the cloud and whimpered a little. "You know I'm having second thoughts about this," he said, his voice oddly high. "How about we go back down? I'll do some more research and we can come back in a couple of days."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, zipped down to the cloud and broke it apart with a hearty buck. Chris eyes widened and gravity kicked in.

"RAINBOW DASH!" he yelled as he fell. Rainbow sniggered before diving after him.

Chris quickly righted himself, spreading his arm and legs as he fell belly first. For a moment his only thought was how hard the ground looked. Then he roughly corralled his panic and ran through his plan. It was simple enough. The only question was whether it would work. He reached out with his magic, grabbing the air. Instead of generating a powerful updraft he brought the air under himself as a support, while at the same time bringing it in from behind to push himself forward. He started drifting forward but the support underneath him wasn't slowing him down. He poured more power into the spell, pushing the support upwards. Then his momentum shifted, his fall slowed, he moved forward faster and suddenly he was flying. The fear and panic had disappeared, replaced by exhilaration. Chris laughed out loud. He'd done it, he was actually flying!

Well sort of. He was still losing height. But the spell matrix was pushed nearly to its limit as it was, any more power in the support beneath him could shatter it. Chris shrugged as he glided gently over the town. He'd work it out. Below him many ponies looked up in shock. Pinkie Pie waved energetically. He left the edge of the town behind as the ground grew closer. A gut churning thought occurred to him. _How do I land?_

As the ground grew close he put more power into the support in an effort to slow himself down. The spell matrix held for a moment, then shattered, the air support vanishing with it. Chris hit the ground feet first, his momentum sending him tumbling head over heels. He came to rest, lying on his back, as Rainbow swooped down from the sky.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" she yelled, pulling a backflip. Chris sat up and groaned. "I knew you could do it. You were flying, you were actually flying!"

"Not quite," Chris said. "It was more like gliding. That spell really isn't meant for that sort of intensive use."

"Who cares?" Rainbow cheered. "I bet you could come up with a different spell to use in a snap."

Chris put a hand to his chin. Now that she mentioned it he did have some other ideas.

* * *

Twilight frowned as she tried to decipher the book she was reading. It was a spell book, written entirely in Saddle Arabian. She only had a passing knowledge of the dialect and her progress was slow. She yawned and looked up at the clock. Nearly three o'clock, she thought. I've been working on this most of the day. She looked back at the book and shrugged. She could afford a little break. Then the door slammed open.

"Twilight!" Pinkie squealed with a manic grin on her face. "Twilight you gotta come outside and see this it's so cool just come outside come on!"

Twilight sighed as Pinkie zoomed off in a puff of smoke. She was being even more excitable than usual. She got up, ignoring her sore muscles and trotted out the door. Pinkie was standing just outside the library, looking up at the sky. "What is it Pinkie?" Twilight asked wearily.

"Look! Look up there look-look-look-look!"

Twilight looked in the direction Pinkie's hoof was pointing. For a second she could see nothing. Then something glinted in the distance. Two somethings, she realised as they drew closer, one rainbow and one almost the same blue as the sky, growing larger every moment. Twilight's eyes widened as she realised how fast they must be travelling. "Is that Rainbow Dash?" she asked.

"And Chris." Twilight stared at Pinkie in confusion.

"Chris?"

"Chris." Pinkie pointed at the blue object. Twilight turned back just as Rainbow zoomed overhead, closely followed by Chris, who was leaving a trail of sapphire light behind him. Twilight's jaw dropped as they wheeled upwards, shedding speed, before arcing over and heading back into Ponyville at a more sedate speed.

"Hi Twilight," they called in unison as they approached. Twilight couldn't think of anything to say as they landed in front of her.

"Wuh?" she managed. Rainbow and Chris laughed.

"I figured out how to fly with magic," Chris explained. Twilight shook her head.

"But… how?"

"Well he tried a couple of ways," Rainbow started.

"But I found the best way was a telekinetic envelope to provide support, coupled with a slightly modified kinetic energy blast for propulsion," Chris finished.

Twilight was stumped. "But that would require an incredibly powerful unicorn to manage that magic."

"Or," Chris said, "two foci." He lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers.

"And it is so awesome Twilight. He's nearly as fast as me," Rainbow said.

"You know I haven't really been pushing it," Chris said. "I think I could probably beat you."

"Is that a challenge?" Rainbow said with a competitive grin. Chris grinned back.

"Three two one GO!" he yelled, launching into the air with a flash of light. Rainbow took off after him, barely a second behind. Twilight watched them go and sighed, shaking her head.

"I need some tea," she said. "Or maybe some cider."

* * *

The ground shook as a thunderous boom rumbled through Ponyville. Twilight looked out the window and the pair of fiery shockwaves, one rainbow, one many shades of blue, rippled across the sky. As she watched Rainbow and Chris rocketed over Ponyville. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Spike, do you know where I put my quill? I should probably explain all this to the Princess before somepony panics."


	30. Chapter 30: Mini-Stories Pack

**Ok, so a bit of explanation first. This chapter is made up of all the little stories that have been building up in my head for the last couple of months. They're not really long enough for a full chapter by themselves, so I stuck them all together and put them in a chapter to get them out of my system. A couple of them will be important later down the line but most of them are just silly little things I thought up.**

* * *

**30.1**

"No, no, a thousand times no Spike."

"But-"

"No! I'm not going to help you build a clockwork, magic powered Mantis Mech."

Spike scowled at Chris petulantly. "Why not?" he asked.

"One, because it's a stupid idea. Two, because Twilight would kill me. Three, I don't want to have to tell Celestia and Luna why Ponyville has been reduced to a smoking crater."

"I wasn't going to blow up anything," Spike grumbled. Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Then why would you want a Mantis," he asked.

"Because it's cool," Spike said. Chris crossed his arms. Spike huffed. "Fine then. No Mantis Mech."

Chris sighed as Spike plodded off, grumbling to himself. "I need to watch how much he's playing that game," he said quietly.

* * *

**30.2**

"Hey Rainbow Dash," Twilight called to her pegasus friend. "What are you doing?"

The pegasus in question was smiling up at the sky, which was filled with thick, grey clouds.

"Hey Twilight. I'm just getting the clouds from yesterday's storm cleared up."

Twilight frowned. "Then shouldn't you be up in the sky, clearing them?"

"I was going to do that," Rainbow said slowly. "But those clouds are really thick, so I asked Chris to help."

Twilight arched an eyebrow. "You got Chris to do your job for you."

"No. I… delegated my authority," Rainbow said slyly. Twilight sighed.

"Whatever. How was Chris going to clear the clouds?"

"Not sure. He said he'd signal me when he was about to start. Oh, there's the signal." Rainbow pointed up at the clouds, where a small firework had fallen through and exploded in a small shower of sparks. "Five seconds," Rainbow said. Twilight began counting in her head and just as she reached zero there was a huge flash of light from inside the clouds. A colossal boom rattled the town as a shockwave ripped through the clouds, disintegrating each one it passed through. Twilight's expert eye recognised the effect as a simple kinetic mine spell. Just overpowered to several times the normal magnitude.

"So. Awesome!" Rainbow squeaked.

* * *

**30.3 **

"Are you ready Chris?" Twilight asked. Chris nodded.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright then. Give it your best shot."

Chris took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the other side of the river, focusing intensely. His hands glowed and in a flash of light he disappeared. A moment later he reappeared in another flash on the other bank. Upside down.

Twilight smothered her laughter as Chris crashed to the ground in a graceless heap. She teleported herself over and offered a hoof.

"That wasn't too bad," she said as she pulled Chris to his feet. "You got all the way over at least."

"Now we just need to work on my landings," Chris said, happy despite landing on his head.

* * *

**30.4 **

Everything was normal in Sugarcube Corner. Then something in the kitchen exploded and a wave of batter flew out the door. A few seconds later Pinkie stumbled out, dizzy and covered in batter.

"New recipe?" Mrs Cake asked, concerned and amused.

"Yep," Pinkie said. "Too much popping candy."

* * *

**30.5 **

"No, no a thousand times no," Chris said to the three little fillies in front of him. "I am not going to make you a clockwork, magic-powered catapult. Why would you even want a clockwork, magic-powered catapult?"

"We figured we could get a cutie-mark for it," Scootaloo said.

"Somethin' like uh… magic catapulters!" Applebloom added.

"Well I'm sorry," Chris said. "But it's not going to happen."

"Aw c'mon Chris. Please?" Applebloom begged, pulling out her puppy-dog eyes. The other crusaders joined in, their eyes wide and pleading. Most would have fallen under the intensity of the stares, but Chris stood firm, baring his soul.

"I said no."

The crusader's heads drooped as they recognised a lost cause. "Okay then," Sweetie Belle said.

"C'mon girls. Let's go."

Twilight trotted up as the fillies left the library. "Wow Chris," she said. "That was pretty impressive."

"Thanks," Chris said. He paused, the images of the crusader's disappointed faces floating in front of his eyes. "I am a horrible person," he deadpanned. "I'm going to lie in bed and wallow in my despicableness now."

* * *

**30.6 **

Chris glanced over at Pinkie with a questioning frown. When he'd told her Assassin's Creed IV had pirates in it she'd gotten… a bit enthusiastic.

"You know you don't have to dress like a pirate to play a game about pirates Pinkie."

"Arr, ye say that again and ye'll be walkin' the plank matey. An' it's Cap'n Pinkie."

Chris face palmed as Cap'n Pinkie's giant pirate hat fell over her eyes and she dropped her rubber cutlass.

* * *

**30.7 **

"Hey Twilight," Chris said as he opened the door to the library.

"Mm."

"What are you reading?" Twilight held up the book, her jaw clamped shut. "Skulduggery Pleasant Last Stand of Dead Men. Cool. What part are you up to-?"

"GHASTLY!" Twilight wailed before breaking down and sobbing. Chris gave her a gentle pat on the back.

"Ah," he said. "That part."

"RAVEL!"

* * *

**30.8 **

Twilight closed her eyes and growled as yet another surge of magic washed through the library. It was becoming very distracting. She marked the place in her book and trotted up the stairs. She pushed open the door to Chris's room just as another surge of magic ran through the tree. Chris was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room, next to a small pile of his stuff. An open book sat in front of him. Floating around near the roof were nearly a dozen paper planes.

"Chris," Twilight said. "What the hay are you doing?"

"I found this book on enchanting," Chris said, indicating the book before him, "and I wanted to give it a go. I've been practicing on the paper planes before I move on to this stuff." He waved his hand the small pile next to him.

Twilight was intrigued. "What are you planning on doing with them?"

"Well," Chris began. "I'm going to be putting a cloud walking enchantment on all my shoes, a perfect temperature enchantment on my coat, a bigger on the inside one on my bag and something clever with my phone."

"What do you mean, something clever?"

Chris shook his head. "I'm not sure it'll work yet so I don't want to give anything away. Have you ever done any enchanting before?"

"A little" Twilight said. "It's not an aspect of magic I've really thoroughly researched but I know the basics."

"Would you mind watching the next enchanting? I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right."

"Sure," Twilight said, sitting down.

Chris quickly folded up another paper plane and held it in front of him. He closed his eyes and the plane lifted into the air, captured in his aura. The glow around his hands intensified and a pair of rings made of magic symbols appeared, surrounding the plane. The symbols pulsed briefly and the rings collapsed into the plane in a flash of light and a surge of magic. Twilight quickly blinked the afterimage away and inspected the results. The symbols now covered the plane, burning white. After a second they faded and the plane flew way towards the ceiling. Twilight caught it with her magic and brought it back down.

"The spell matrix looks good. It seems to have adhered to the plane very well."

"That's what the magic surge is for," Chris said. "It helps the matrix bind to the object."

Twilight examined the plane for a few more seconds then let it go. "Seems fine to me," she said with a smile. "Let me know if your 'something clever' works."

"Will do," Chris called as she left the room.

* * *

"Twilight!"

Twilight looked up from her cup of tea as Chris came bounding down the stairs. "What is it?" she asked. Chris almost skipped over to her and held up his phone.

"Smile," he said. There was flash and the sound of a camera taking a picture.

"What was that for?" Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes.

"A thing. Oh that's a good picture. Look at that." Chris turned the phone round and showed Twilight her picture. She looked very stunned, her mane a bit askew.

"Can you take another one?" she asked, running a hand through her mane.

"Nope," Chris said, busy tapping on his phone. "Would you mind going into the kitchen Twilight? I just have one more thing I have to test." Before Twilight could ask him what he was doing he'd run up the stairs and vanished. She sighed and shrugged, trotting into the kitchen. She waited for a few moments. Nothing happened. Then a small blue ball popped into existence right in front of her. Twilight gave a yelp and scrambled back in shock. The orb followed her, beeping energetically. Twilight shied away a little as it continued to beep. Morbid curiosity welled up and she stretched out a hoof, hesitated, then gave it a gently prod. At once the beeping stopped and the ball shrank rapidly to a tiny pinprick before expanding back out, this time as a circle. Inside the circle was written, in glowing blue letters, 'Chris calling'. And then, amazingly, Chris's voice came out of the circle.

"Hello? Hello? Twilight can you hear me?"

"Y-yes," Twilight said. "Yes I can. Chris what's-"

"Yes! It worked, brilliant!"

"Chris what's going on?"

"Hang on I'll explain in a second." There was a small beep and the circle shrank to nothing then disappeared. A few seconds later Chris came through the kitchen door, smiling giddily.

"Ok. Explain," Twilight said.

Chris held up his phone. "That was my clever thing. I wanted to see if I could get my phone to call people here, without the need for cell phone towers or anything like that. So I enchanted the SIM card with a communication enchantment as well as a few other bits and pieces. The flash when I took your picture was reading your magic signature so my phone knows where to direct the spell to."

Twilight blinked. "That… actually is pretty clever."

"I know. Anyway, I'm going to go take pictures of everyone else. See you later."

* * *

"But Ah don' have a magic signature," Applejack said. "Ah an earth pony, not a unicorn."

"That doesn't mean you don't have a magic signature," Chris said. "Every pony, no matter what species, has a natural magic inside them. Unicorns are capable of expressing it consciously, while earth ponies use it more passively. Pegasi fall somewhere in the middle."

"Ah suppose that makes sense."

* * *

"If you are capable of contacting me with this device, does that mean I can contact you as well?" Rarity asked.

"Yes it does," Chris said, deleting the fifty two photos that Rarity hadn't liked. "I've told the others this as well. Now that it's identified you're magic signature you can call me by saying 'call Chris's phone'.

"What, just saying it? I don't have to use any magic?"

"Nope, the phone does all the magic itself. The words are just an activator. That way anyone can use it."

* * *

**30.9 **

Rainbow Dash giggled as her car sped easily past the other racers. She weaved flawlessly through the oncoming traffic and set off a spike strip, catching one of the pursuing cops. It may have been nowhere near as fast as she normally went, but there was something about these roaring metal monstrosities flying across the countryside that made her grin. Even if it was just on a TV screen.

"Aw yeah! First place baby," Rainbow cheered as her car crossed the line. Next to her Chris's eyes widened as he saw her time.

"Wow," he said. "This is definitely one game where you have me beat."

"What can I say? Speed comes naturally to me."

Chris rolled his eyes. _Wait til she gets the Bugatti,_ he thought.

* * *

**30.10 **

Chris stared at Twilight, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Say that again," he said.

"I've never heard of anything like Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't think we have anything similar here," Twilight said. The look on Chris's face had her slightly concerned. Very slowly Chris raised an arm, pointing at Twilight.

"Call the girls round," he said. "You're going to have an education."

* * *

"Why're we here again?" Applejack asked.

"Because I'm going to introduce you all to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies," Chris replied. 'Now shush, it's starting.

* * *

"… Really bad eggs… Drink up me hearties yo-ho."

"Whaddya think?" Chris asked as the credits rolled.

"It was pretty good," said Twilight.

"Oh man, Jack was so cool!" said Spike.

"Yeah, he was all swoosh, shwing, woosh," Pinkie chattered.

"I think the best part was the love story between Will and Elizabeth," Rarity said, a dreamy note in her voice. "Oh so romantic."

"Right then, on to the next one," Chris said.

"How many are there?" Twilight asked.

"Only four."

* * *

Chris covered Fluttershy's eyes as the crow tapped on the coffin out at sea. There were some things she didn't need to see. A crow getting shot was one of them.

* * *

"JACK NO!" Rainbow wailed as the kraken pulled the Black Pearl beneath the sea. Chris gently patted her back as she stifled her tears.

* * *

"BARBOSSA?!" everyone but Chris shouted.

"Keep it down," he grumbled, rubbing his ears.

* * *

"Oh my," Fluttershy whispered as Pintel and Ragetti clambered atop the washed up kraken.

"Serves the stupid great squid right for eating Jack," Rainbow huffed. Fluttershy looked affronted.

"It only did it because that mean old Davy Jones made it," she said.

"Girls please," Chris said. "Let's just watch the movie.

* * *

Chris threw a concerned glance at Rainbow. She kept making squeaky noises and it was starting to worry him. Then again two ships fighting around the edge of giant whirlpool was pretty awesome.

* * *

"… It's always belonged to you," Will said.

Chris frowned and glanced around the room, looking for the source of the sudden high pitched keening sound. The sound cut off as Rarity stuffed a hoof in her mouth, fighting to contain tears.

"That's so beautiful," she whispered.

"Kinda creepy though," Applejack said. Rarity didn't hear. She was too busy muffling her emotion as Will and Elizabeth kissed.

* * *

"BARBOSSA?!"

"For the love of peace," Chris growled, rubbing his ears again. "Stop doing that."

"Sorry," said Twilight. "Why's he got a wooden leg?"

* * *

Rarity started squealing again as Phillip and Syrena kissed.

"Rarity," Applejack said, "she's half fish. That makes it more weird than romantic."

* * *

Chris stretched out as the final credits rolled. Twilight yawned into her hoof and Rainbow flopped back onto the floor, a wide plastered to her face.

"So much awesome," she whispered.

Pinkie was bouncing on the spot. "Ooh, now I wanna go on piratey adventures too," she said.

"Ah enjoyed it too," Applejack said, getting to her hooves. "Nice way to spend an afternoon."

"Actually," Chris said, checking his phone. "We've been here for nearly ten hours. It's almost midnight."

"WHAT?!"

"Please stop doing that."

* * *

**30.11 **

Chris eyed the punching bag dubiously. "So why are we doing this?" he asked.

"Because," Rainbow replied. "You can fight with your magic and now I'm going to teach you to fight with your hooves – er… fists."

"Right… And what makes you qualified to teach me?"

Rainbow snorted. "I have black belts in karate and kung-fu plus I'm a champion kickboxer. Now, get into stance. Let's see what you got…"

* * *

**30.12 **

Twilight, who was in her basement lab conducting an experiment, gaped in shock at the readout from her thermometer spell.

"The temperature," she gasped. "It's over nine thousand!"

**Elsewhere**

Chris looked up from his work as a shiver ran up his spine. "Did you feel that?" he asked.

"Feel what?" asked the Doctor.

"I don't know," Chris said. "It was like… thousands of nerds, crying out at a sudden reference." He shivered. "There it is again."

The Doctor looked confused. "That's… oddly specific."

**Meanwhile**

Mr Cake watched in growing concern as Pinkie Pie stood atop the kitchen counter, waving her hooves in the air and muttering something about 'fixing the fourth wall' and 'amateurs'. He'd never understand that filly.

* * *

**30.13**

"I hate you so much," GLaDOS said in her emotionless way. Twilight smirked as the glass around her shattered. She quickly grabbed Wheatley off the ground and looked around the room, searching for something to help her take down the maniacal AI hanging above her.

"Twilight," Chris said as he came in the door. "Dinner's ready."

"In a minute."

Chris sighed. "Come on Twilight, you've been playing on that all day."

"Just a few more minutes, I've almost won."

Chris sighed again and went back upstairs. He sat down at the kitchen table and Spike raised an eyebrow. "Is Twilight still playing Portal?"

"Yep. She thinks she's almost finished."

"DAMMIT WHEATLEY!" Twilight shouted downstairs.

"Unfortunately she's barely half-way through."

* * *

**30.14**

"NO!" Luna wailed, throwing up her hooves. Celestia's jaw hung open, lost for words. Her controller fell from her hooves as she took in the scoreboard.

"Well played Angel," she said. The rabbit next to her gave a smug smile before turning tail and hopping out of the room.

Chris couldn't breathe, he was laughing so hard.

* * *

**30.1: Spike's been playing Halo 4 too much.  
****30.2: Got a problem? Use explosives!  
****30.3: Teleporting takes practice.  
****30.4: Pinkie Pie, PhD in Advanced Baking.  
****30.5: Chris is one of the few people who can withstand the power of the Triple CMC Puppy-Dog Stare (patent pending).  
****30.6: Fear Cap'n Pinkie, scourge of the Seven Sugary Seas!  
****30.7: If you've read Last Stand of Dead Men, you know what bit that is.  
****30.8: Chris is expanding his magical repertoire. I want to have him focusing on magic stuff we don't see Twilight doing, so they aren't just the same type of mage.  
****30.9: Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. I think Rainbow would be really good at it.  
****30.10: Drink up me hearties, yo-ho.  
****30.11: How does a pony do karate?  
****30.12: … I have no explanation for this.  
****30.13: Dammit Wheatley indeed.  
****30.14: Don't mess with Angel Bunny.**


	31. Chapter 31: All Those Years Ago

"Here's my train," Chris said as the train pulled up at Ponyville Station. "It's a shame none of you can come to Canterlot with me."

"Tell me about it dear," Rarity said with a pout. "If only I didn't have such a big order to fill. I love visiting Canterlot."

"We know Rarity," Applejack said. "Everypony knows."

"You'll be fine on your own," said Twilight.

"As long as I don't get lost on my way to the castle."

"Don't worry about that. I sent a letter to my brother, Shining Armour, and he agreed to meet you at the station and take you to the castle."

Chris pretended to look offended. "Am I really that helpless?"

Twilight shrugged. "Well I wasn't going to say anything but…"

"Ouch," Chris said as everyone laughed. "Well, see you all tomorrow. Let us ride to Canterlot!" Chris went to walk onto the train, then stopped and turned around. "On second thoughts let's not go to Canterlot. It is a silly place." The ponies looked at him in confusion. Rarity looked scandalised. "Monty Python. No? Really? God, my humour is wasted on you lot." With that he turned around and boarded the train. A whistle blew and the train set off.

"That was weird," Twilight said.

"Yes it was – Pinkie Pie what are you doing to that bird?" said Rarity. Pinkie Pie looked over from where she was trying to tie a coconut onto a swallow's leg.

"Nothing," she said slowly.

* * *

Chris stepped off the train at Canterlot Station and adjusted the strap on his bag. Several ponies stopped and stared at him, and some started whispering to their friends. Chris ignored them all, looking around for Twilight's brother. A waving hoof caught his eye and he made his way over to the unicorn stallion it belonged to. His coat was gleaming white while his mane was two-tone blue. His cutie mark was a deep blue shield with a familiar pink, six-pointed star over top and three stars above it.

"Hi," the unicorn said when Chris was close enough. "You must be Chris."

"You must be Shining Armour," Chris said. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. Don't look now, but I think you may be getting a bit off attention."

Chris rolled his eyes. "I noticed. You'd think they'd have something better to stare at."

Shining shrugged. "They're Canterlot nobles," he said. "They pretty much live for gossip."

Chris laughed, giving the ponies around him a cursory glance. "Do they always have their noses in the air like that?"

"More or less."

"That can't be good for their necks."

"You wouldn't think so. They manage somehow. Anyway, should we head up to the castle?"

"Sure, lead the way."

* * *

"I'd like to thank you again, Chris, for allowing our scientists to examine your technology."

"It's no trouble Celestia," said Chris. "Honestly, it's my pleasure."

Celestia nodded. "A part of me wishes you'd brought more of it with you. Your technology could work such wonders here." She shrugged. "Oh well. I'm still happy with what you do have."

"Even if you suck at Halo."

"I believe I decreed that never be mentioned outside of Twilight's library."

"Did you? I don't seem to remember that."

"Hmm."

Chris laughed as they walked up to a set of tall double doors. Celestia pushed them open and they walked into what looked like a temporary lab space. A group of about a dozen ponies loitered around several large machines. One of them saw Celestia and Chris and trotted over with a smile.

"Princess," he said with a bow. "And you must be Chris. It's truly wonderful to meet you. I'm Bright Spark, the head scientist of the team." Bright was an earth pony with a grey coat. His mane and tail were white and neatly combed. His cutie mark was covered by a white lab coat. "I am very excited to get started. Such a wonderful opportunity. Er, you do have the items with you?"

"Yep, they're all in here." Chris patted his bag. Bright Spark looked confused.

"How did you fit them all in there? I thought there were quite a few items."

"There are," Chris said. "Where do you want me to put them?"

"Oh, uh over on that table."

Chris pulled the bag off his shoulder and put it on the table. He opened the flap, reached in and pulled out his Xbox, then his laptop, then his CD player, external hard-drive, wireless mouse, an Xbox controller, a couple of Xbox games and DVDs, the charger for his laptop and finally his headphones. He took his bag off the table and, as an afterthought, pulled out his phone and put it on the table. He managed to supress a grin as he noticed every pony in the room, bar Celestia, gaping at him uncomprehendingly.

"What?" he asked.

"How…?" Bright Spark tried to ask.

"A bigger on the inside enchantment on the bag. It comes in handy. Also there's an enchantment on part of the phone, so just ignore that when you're examining it."

Bright gave his head a shake and coughed. "Right, well, anyway. We should get started taking them apart."

Chris froze. "What?"

"Uh, we need to take these things apart to properly examine how they work."

"Right," Chris said. "Suddenly I'm not so sure about this."

"Chris," Celestia said. "Everypony on this team are experts in their respective fields. I promise you that they'll show the utmost care when dealing with your things."

"Yeah, you're right," Chris said. Then he whipped around, his face right in front of Bright Spark's, fire burning in his eyes. "If you don't put everything back _exactly_ the way it was, so help me-"

"Chris," Celestia said warningly. Chris straightened up and smiled pleasantly.

"Have fun," he said, before turning and walking out. Celestia shrugged an apology to Bright Spark and followed. Bright let out a shaky sighed and turned to his team. "Let's get started," he said. He looked over his shoulder at the closed door. "And for Celestia's sake be careful."

* * *

Chris hummed as he wandered through the shelves of the Canterlot Royal Library and tried not to think of his stuff being taken apart. He'd somehow managed to find himself in a part of the library where the shelves were filled with books the size of paving stones on the most boring of topics. He sighed and looked around, trying to find the exit from the Boring Zone. A tall archway caught his eye.

"Starswirl the Bearded Wing," Chris read. "Why does that name sound familiar? Oh yeah, he's that unicorn that Twilight idolises." He laughed quietly to himself and walked under the arch, into the wing. The shelves here were full of dusty looking books and scrolls and in the middle of the room was a huge hourglass. Chris plucked a random scroll off a shelf and unfurled it. His eyes widened as he read it.

"Time spells," he said quietly. He rolled the scroll up and put it back on the shelf. "This is cool." He walked along the shelves, eyes scanning the titles of the books before alighting on one in particular.

"A Compendium of Beginner's Time Spells," Chris said, slipping the book from the shelf. He opened it to the first page and started reading.

"Hmm," he said after a while. "That's weird. The simplest spell is a straight time travel spell. It's not much different from a teleport." Chris grinned recklessly. _I've gotten the hang of teleporting,_ he reasoned. There was a flash and he was on the other side of the room. _There are only a couple of differences and a much higher power requirement. _Another flash and he was back where he started. _Fortunately power is something I've got plenty of._ He bit his lip. "Oh what the heck," he said, carefully reading over the spell. "Got to pick a destination. Let's say... a thousand years ago? That'll work. Alright then." Chris took a deep breath and focused his magic. His hands began to glow. He closed his eyes as a shell of light surrounded him. There was a flash and he was gone.

* * *

In a bright flash Chris reappeared. He stumbled as he landed, feeling drained from the taxing spell.

"Wow," he said. "That was demanding. Still I'm here and everything… looks exactly the same." Indeed, everything looked how it did a few seconds ago. "Well that's disappointing. Did the spell work?" He looked down at the book and flipped a couple of pages. Then there was a loud crash as the door flew open and guards charged into the room.

"Halt, foul creature," one of them shouted, his horn glowing with magic. Chris frowned. _That's rude_, he thought.

"I wasn't moving in the first place," he pointed out. The guards stiffened as he spoke.

"Sir what should we do?" one of them asked the one in charge. The one in charge thought for a moment.

"We'll take it-"

"I have a name."

"Quiet," the guard snapped. "We'll take it to Princess Celestia. This could be another of Nightmare Moon's tricks."

_Oh right,_ Chris thought. _A thousand years ago would be just after Nightmare Moon was banished. I forgot that._

* * *

Princess Celestia, now the sole ruler of Equestria, looked up from paperwork as the doors to the throne room opened. Several guards walked in in two ranks, with Chris between them, still holding the book and looking around curiously. He was now pretty sure that the spell had worked. The incredibly silly outfits the nobles around the throne room were wearing sort of proved it. _I'm glad style moved forward_, Chris thought. He and his guard escort stopped before the throne and the guards bowed.

"Princess," the lead guard said. "We found this creature within the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Royal Library."

Celestia gave Chris a hard, searching look. "Where did it come from?" she asked the guard.

"We do not know you highness."

"Hmm." Chris meet Celestia's gaze evenly. "Can it speak?" she asked.

"Yes it can. It has scarcely stopped talking since we found it." Chris shrugged. That was true enough. Though Celestia's expression didn't change, he was sure he saw a small twinkle of amusement in her eye.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And where do you come from?"

"Finally somepony asks. My name's Chris. As for where I came from," he held up the book. "You tell me."

The book levitated out of his hand and floated over to Celestia. She read the title and raised an eyebrow. "You're a time traveller?" she asked.

"Sort of. This is only my first time trying it."

"Then _when_ are you from?"

"About a thousand years in the future."

"Why did you choose to come here? Is it some sort of mission?"

Chris shook his head. "It wasn't really a deliberate choice. A thousand years back just seemed like a good number. As soon as I've got enough magic back I'll be off."

Celestia frowned. "What do you mean, enough magic?"

"I have way more magic than most normal unicorns do, but that was still a pretty demanding spell. I'll need to recharge for a bit before I can cast it again. One night should do."

Celestia seemed to think this over. "Very well then," she said. "You will be given lodgings for the night, as well as food. Here's your book." The book floated back to Chris, who shoved it into his bag. "Take… Chris to one of the guest chambers," she said to the guard.

"Yes, Princess," he said.

As Chris left the throne room he looked back over his shoulder at Celestia. Something was wrong, he thought. Through the whole encounter he hadn't seen her smile once. She was in pain, he realised. Deep, deep pain.

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Chris awoke. Slowly he opened his eyes and yawned. For brief moment he wondered what had woken him, before shrugging and turning over, already falling back to sleep. He was pulled back to waking by a faint sob. He sat up, his eyes adjusting to the dark, and frowned. He threw back the covers, glad that he'd thought to bring his pyjamas. The door to his room opened without a sound and he paused, wondering what he was doing. Then another sob reached him. It was faint and echoed slightly down the halls. Curiosity propelling him, he set off through the castle. Every now and then he'd stop and wait to hear another sob before heading in the right direction. Somehow he managed to run into not a single guard. Eventually he reached a tall pair of double doors. The sound of crying was clearer now, definitely coming from behind the doors. Chris swallowed. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew who it was. He was proved correct when he silently pushed the door opened and found himself in Celestia's chambers. Celestia herself was laying on the bed staring up at the moon through the tall windows, bathed in its light. Wet tracks ran down her cheeks and another choked sob escaped her lips.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whispered between sobs. She started as Chris's arms wrapped around her neck in a hug. She looked at him in confusion and saw only kindness in his eyes. She closed her eyes and buried her head in his shoulder, sobbing openly as she let out her sorrows. Chris didn't say anything, just held her as she cried. After a long while Celestia's crying eased and she pulled away.

"You probably shouldn't be here," she said. Chris pulled his arms back.

"Ask me to leave and I'll go," he said softly. Celestia met his gaze, seeing only a desire to help her. She looked back up at the moon.

"You must think me weak, crying like this" she said.

"Weak? No. I've seen the future remember? You bear this burden for a thousand years and you are still the strongest, wisest leader Equestria could hope for."

Celestia fought back another sob. "Not strong enough to save my own sister," she said. "Now I've lost her forever."

Chris frowned. "Forever?"

Celestia nodded. "The Elements of Harmony locked her permanently in the moon. There's no way for her to return."

Chris's frown deepened as Celestia buried her head in her hooves. _It wasn't forever though, _he thought. _It was a thousand years. Twilight told me about the whole prophecy deal. Has Celestia not heard it yet? Or maybe… _A strange idea occurred to him. _What if it wasn't a prophecy? What if it was just… time travel?_

"Not forever," Chris said. Celestia looked up with wide eyes. "Nightmare Moon will not be gone forever. On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about eternal night."

Terror and hopelessness filled Celestia's heart. "Then I failed even more completely than I thought."

"But."

A tiny spark of hope ignited in her chest at the single word.

"If six ponies who truly embody the Elements of Harmony should face her, united by true friendship, then the shadow upon her heart will be broken, and your sister will return."

Celestia was speechless for a long moment. "Y – You're sure?"

Chris smiled. "For me this is all history. I wasn't there when it happened but I've met Luna. She's nice."

Celestia was still and silent for several moments. Then smiled. It was a small, sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Then there is hope," she said, looking back to the moon. "But a thousand years… how do I wait a thousand years?"

Chris sighed. "I don't have an answer for you. Perhaps the only thing you can do is ease your own soul."

"How?"

Chris thought for a second or two. "Sing to her," he said. "Tell her just how much she means to you. Tell her how sorry you are. She may even throw off the darkness of her own accord."

Celestia didn't respond for the longest time. Then, very softly, she began to sing.

"Fate has been cruel and order unkind,  
How can I have sent you away?  
The blame was my own; the punishment, yours,  
The harmony's silent today

"But into the stillness I'll bring you a song,  
And I will your company keep.  
Till your tired eyes and my lullabies,  
Have carried you softly to sleep."

Words failed her as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Then Chris started singing too.

"Once did a pony who shone like the sun  
Look out on her kingdom and sigh.  
She smiled and said, 'Surely, there is no pony  
So lovely and so well beloved as I'.

"So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory  
That long was the shadow she cast.  
Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved  
And grew only darker as days and nights passed."

Resolve hardened, Celestia took over.

"Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine  
And rest now in moonlight's embrace.  
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth  
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space.

"Carry the peace and the coolness of night  
And carry my sorrow in kind.  
Luna, you're loved so much more than you know  
Forgive me for being so blind.

"Soon did that pony take notice that others  
Did not give her sister her due.  
And neither had she loved her as she deserved,  
She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew.

"But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly  
Takes hold of the mind of its host.  
And that foolish pony did nothing to stop  
The destruction of one who had needed her most.

"Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine  
And rest now in moonlight's embrace.  
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth  
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space.

"Carry the peace and the coolness of night  
And carry my sorrow in kind.  
Luna, you're loved so much more than you know  
May troubles be far from your mind.  
And forgive me for being so blind."

Celestia got up from the bed and walked out onto the balcony, looking up at the moon, praying for Luna to hear her voice.

"The years now before us  
Fearful and unknown.  
I never imagined  
I'd face them on my own.

"May these thousand winters  
Swiftly pass, I pray.  
I love you; I miss you  
All these miles away.

"May all your dreams be sweet tonight.  
Safe upon your bed of moonlight.  
And know not of sadness, pain, or care.  
And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there.

"Sleep...

"Sleep…

"Sleep…"

Celestia bowed her head, her heart utterly spent. High above the Mare in the Moon gave no sign that she'd heard anything. But somehow, Celestia felt better. Sadness and regret still filled her, but she could bear it now. For now she had hope. Chris stepped up beside her.

"Thank you Chris," she said softly. "You've given me the first hope I've had since I had to banish her."

"Hold on to that hope," Chris said. "Never let it die."

"I won't. Thank you."

Chris smiled. "I think I'll return to my room now."

"Very well. Goodnight. And thank you again."

Chris bowed. "Goodnight Princess."

* * *

The next morning saw Chris eating a quick breakfast before heading to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing, accompanied by Celestia.

"Why must you be in the library?" Celestia asked. "Would it not work in the throne room?"

"It would," Chris said. "But the spell doesn't allow me to travel through space, only time. I figure I should probably go back in the same place I disappeared from. Otherwise ponies may get confused."

"I see."

Celestia nodded to the guards they passed as they entered the Starswirl wing. "I was right… here," Chris said. He pulled the book from his bag and flipped to the right page. "I should be able to get it so that I reappear just after I left."

"Are you sure you can give me no advice on finding the spirits of the Elements?" Celestia asked.

"Don't worry about it," Chris said. "By all accounts the elements end up finding each other anyway. Just trust in yourself and your own judgement. You'll be fine."

"One last thing," Celestia said quickly as Chris's hand started to glow. "In the future, you said that you met Luna. Has she… forgiven me?"

Chris gave her a strange look as the glow intensified. "Of course she has," he said. "She's your sister." Then there was a flash of light and he was gone.

* * *

And in another flash of light he reappeared. He stumbled slightly as his feet hit the floor and looked around. Again, everything looked the same. Same shelves, same books, Celestia and Luna in exactly the same place-.

Ok maybe not quite the same.

Celestia gave him a teasing smile. "Now where did you go off to?" she asked.

Chris grinned nervously. "As a matter of curiosity, how long is an alicorn's memory?"

"Very long," Celestia said. Luna stepped forward.

"My sister told me of what you did for her all those years ago," she said. "I am eternally grateful to you for helping her." She pulled Chris into a hug.

"As am I," said Celestia, joining the hug. Chris rolled his eyes but returned it anyway.

"How long have I been gone for?" Chris asked as they separated.

"About an hour," Celestia answered. Chris frowned.

"Huh. I was aiming for five minutes. Maybe I need more practice."

"Maybe another time," Celestia said. "For now, it's almost time for lunch."

"Though as I understand you've only just had breakfast," said Luna.

Chris laughed. "I think I'll manage a little snack," he said, following behind the Princesses. Just before he left the room he turned back and looked over the shelves.

"Another time then," he said.

* * *

**Ta-da! Time travel!**

**Lullaby for a Princess is an incredibly amazing song done by ponyphonic I think. I really wanted to use it somewhere, so here it is.**

**The reason I don't have Celestia speaking in ye olde Equestrian is because I simply couldn't be bothered.**


	32. Chapter 32: Filling In

"Hey girls."

"Hey Applebloom," Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo chorused as their friend trotted into the schoolyard.

"So who'd ya think it is?" Applebloom asked, not beating around the bush.

"What do you mean?" Sweetie asked.

"The substitute teacher we got," Applebloom said. "With Miss Cheerilee away at that conference, we're gonna have to have a substitute teacher for the rest of the week."

"Maybe it'll be Twilight," Sweetie suggested. "She's pretty smart."

"Yeah. Plus she's really nice," Scootaloo added.

"I think Twilight's away this week too," Applebloom said. "I wonder who else it could be."

"I guess we'll find out soon," Scootaloo said as the school bell rang. With much excited chatter the young fillies and colts filed into the classroom and took their seats. All of them noticed the suspicious lack of any older ponies in the room.

"Maybe we don't have a teacher today," said Snips.

"Ah doubt Miss Cheerilee would wanna leave us alone for a whole week," said Applebloom.

"Yeah, who knows what you or your blank flank friends would mess up," Diamond Tiara said in her cruel, snobbish way. Applebloom simmered and went to reply when Chris walked in through the door.

"Good morning class," he said with a smile. "Are we sitting comfortably? I'm going to be filling in for Miss Cheerilee for the rest of the week. Yes, do you have a question?"

"Yeah," said Featherweight, whose hoof had been up in the air. "I was just wondering why Miss Cheerilee picked you to teach us."

"A fair question," said Chris. "Miss Cheerilee was originally going to ask Twilight Sparkle to substitute for her. But Twilight's away visiting her family in Canterlot at the moment, so I volunteered to fill in for her. Now, first things first, Cheerilee tells me you have homework to hand in."

* * *

Chris turned out to be not a bad teacher. After the homework had been collected he jumped straight into their first lesson; math. He started by writing the problems up on the board and running through a couple of them with the whole class. Then he got everypony to do the rest of them while he walked around the room, helping anypony who asked for it. Just like Cheerilee, he'd never just give anypony the answer. Instead he gave them little hints at how to solve the problem for themselves. The rest of the day followed that pattern and it was all going well until the last lesson of the day, history.

They were learning about something called the Equestrian Reneighssance Period, a time of great cultural rebirth. And one of the most famous ponies of the Reneighssance had been Artsy Smarts.

"Artsy Smarts was an incredible pony in many ways," Chris said to the class. "He's one of the few ponies in history to have multiple cutie marks. Though the actual number has been lost, most scholars believe he had four at the time of his death. However he did have a problem with procrastination, which meant he took a while to earn them. Historical texts say that he was well into his teenage years when he got his first cutie mark."

"Heh, a blank flank for that long. What a loser," Diamond Tiara said quietly.

"But what about all the cutie marks he did get?" Applebloom shot back. Diamond shrugged.

"I guess some blank flanks just get lucky," she said. "I can think of three that won't be so fortunate."

"Hey!" cried Sweetie.

"You take that back you good for nothing bully," Scootaloo said.

"Why should she blank flank?" Silver said.

"Jerks!"

"Talentless!"

"QUIET!"

Everypony froze as Chris's magically amplified voice rumbled through the class like thunder. He fixed the five fillies with a cold, penetrating glare. "I will not tolerate you disrupting the class. All five of you, see me after school."

"But-"

"No buts Scootaloo. I will hear both sides of the story after class. For now I don't want to hear another word out of you five."

* * *

Chris sat behind the desk, fingers steepled. The fillies stood before him, caught in his cool, even gaze. They shifted uncomfortably as the silence grew longer.

"Okay," Chris said finally. "Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon. Tell me what happened from your perspective."

"What?" Scootaloo cried. "Why do they get to go first? You know they're not going to tell the-"

Chris held up a hand, silencing the young pegasus. Then he gestured to Diamond and Silver. "If you would."

"I don't know what happened," Diamond began, doing a convincing job of acting innocent. "All I did was make a joke and those three lost it and started calling us names."

_That story has so many holes it could be mistaken for Swiss cheese,_ Chris thought. "Okay, you three." He gestured to the Crusaders. "What happened from your perspective?"

"Diamond Tiara called Artsy Smarts a loser because he took a while to get his cutie mark," Scootaloo said.

"And then she said we wouldn't get our cutie marks," said Sweetie Belle.

"And Scootaloo called Diamond out for bein' a bully," said Applebloom.

"And then they called us blank flanks and talentless," Scootaloo finished. Somewhere in the back of his mind Chris marvelled at the Crusaders' ability to synchronise their sentences.

"I recall hearing you calling them jerks Scootaloo," Chris said. Scootaloo uncomfortably.

"Well they are," she muttered.

Chris sighed. "It looks to me like there are faults on both sides. I want you to apologise to each other and we'll drop the issue."

Applebloom scowled. She wasn't sure whether she'd prefer an actual punishment. The other Crusaders seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked affronted.

"Come on girls," Chris said. "The sooner you apologise the sooner you get to go home."

"Fine then," Applebloom said grudgingly. "We're sorry for calling you a jerk."

"And I'm… sorry for calling you lot blank flanks," said Diamond Tiara.

Chris raised an eyebrow. It was very clear that neither party was sincere. He sighed. "I suppose that's as good as we're going to get. You're free to go home. I need to mark this homework."

Chris gazed at the small pile of paper on the desk, his mind a long way away. _Those five are trouble, _he thought. _Fillies their age don't need that sort of conflict in their life. It could even turn into something worse later on. There has to be some way of helping them get along. _Chris leaned back in his chair, mind alive with half-formed ideas. _All they need is some time where it's just them, so they can talk through their problems. Or argue until they get fed up..._ _Hmm, that might work. _A thoughtful smile curled his lips. _I'd need to get some permission for that though. I should ask Cheerilee what she thinks as well._ With that in mind Chris pulled out his phone and typed out a quick message for Cheerilee, glad that he'd thought to add her to his contacts before she left. Satisfied with the message he slid his phone away and turned to the pile of homework, pulling the first piece off the top and readying a quill. His eyebrow rose as he read.

"That's… not how math works Snips," he said to himself.

* * *

**Two days later**

"Alright that's the end of class everypony," said Chris as the bell rang. "Don't forget it's a long weekend so you don't have school on Friday or Monday. Oh and Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? I need you all to stay behind for a moment."

Applebloom frowned, curious. She couldn't think of anything that would get them kept behind. They'd been keeping up with their homework and they hadn't been in any fights with Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon today.

"Now, you five," Chris said once the other ponies had left and the remaining fillies had gathered in front of the desk. "I am of the opinion, and Cheerilee agrees with me here, that this rivalry you lot have going on has become disruptive for everybody, not least yourselves. So Cheerilee and I came up with a plan to help you settle your differences. Well, my original plan was to have you all stranded on an island for a week but Cheerilee said that could be problematic. So instead the five of you are going to spend the coming long weekend on a group camping trip."

The atmosphere in the room following that statement was one of shocked silence. "WHAT?!" the fillies shouted together.

"You want us to hang around them?" said Scootaloo.

"For a whole four days?!" Sweetie added.

"My daddy will never agree to this," said Diamond Tiara.

"Actually he already has," Chris said, silencing the lot of them. "I've already discussed this with all your parents and guardians, and they've all agreed that it's in your best interests to go."

"What?!"

"But my parents aren't in Ponyville at the moment," Sweetie said.

"Rarity filled in for them and assured me that they'd want you to go as well."

"But why do we have to go?" Applebloom asked.

"Because," Chris said, "it's not healthy to grow up bearing this sort of animosity towards anyone. At the very least you lot need to learn how to be in the same room without fighting. Now, I have to work out tomorrow's lesson, and you all have a camping trip to get organised for. Off you go."

* * *

Friday morning saw most ponies lying in bed, relishing the start of the long weekend. It also saw Chris, followed by a line of trudging fillies, marching over the hills far outside Ponyville. Several bags and bundles hovered after him as he conducted the magic around them in an almost absent fashion.

"Come on girls, don't dawdle," he called over his shoulder. Several unenthusiastic, grumbled replies reached him.

"This should be a good spot," he said as he reached the top of a hill.

"Um, Chris?" Applebloom said. "Ain't we a mite close to th' Everfree?"

"No closer than Ponyville is," Chris said. "But I see your point. You don't have to worry." He held up a palm-sized, flat rock. "I've put some enchantments on this little rock that'll stop any wildlife from bothering you. Just don't go too far from the campsite after dark." The bags levitated to the ground and Chris tossed the rock on top of it. "There should be enough food and water in there for the weekend. If you run out you'll have to find some more yourselves. I could only get two tents so you'll have to share but there's enough sleeping bags for each of you. Have a fun weekend."

"Wait," Diamond yelped as Chris turned to leave. "You're just leaving us? You're not going to set up the tent or anything?"

Chris shook his head. "Nope. From here on out it's all up to you five. Work together and talk to each other and I'm sure everything will be fine."

Diamond Tiara's mouth opened and closed in a good impression of a fish as Chris disappeared in a flash of magic.

* * *

Later that day the fillies' caregivers, plus Chris, met at the Rich Mansion. There was Rarity, Applejack, Scootaloo's parents, Pretty Ink and Quick Fix, Filthy Rich, and Silver Spoon's parents, Sterling and Grace Step.

"It's going to be such a relief having a quiet weekend," Rarity said. "I don't think I've had a chance to relax since the Crusaders formed."

"I hear that," Applejack said. "I'm just a lil' worried about them. They are kinda close to the Everfree Forest."

"Chris has already assured us that he's provided protection for them," said Sterling. Chris nodded.

"The spells on that rock will let me know if something gets close. It'll try to get whatever it is to leave with some mental prodding, and if that fails it'll produce a shield that'll last for a few minutes, which will be plenty of time for me to get there."

"See? Everything will be fine," Pretty Ink said, giving Applejack a reassuring pat on the back.

"Do you really think they'll be able to work out their issues?" Filthy Rich said. "My daughter hasn't told me much about them, but from what she has said and what you've told me, it seems like their bad feelings towards each other are pretty deeply ingrained."

Chris shrugged. "Personally, I see it going two ways. Best case scenario, the actually work out their issues and become friends. Worst case, they'll be so sick of each other by the end of the weekend that they'll never speak again. Either way it'll stop them bickering."

* * *

**This is sure to go well...**

**Artsy Smarts is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci. And yes I know that 'Reneighssance' is quite silly.**

**In my headcanon Scootaloo does have parents. My theory is they're just not important enough to be featured in the show. Pretty Ink's talent is painting and Quick Fix's is household repairs. Nothing extraordinary. Scootaloo got her mane colour from her dad.**

**Silver Spoon's parents follow similar logic to Scootaloo's. Sterling is a famous silver smith and Grace Step is a successful dancer.**

**In the next chapter we will discover in just how many ways things can go wrong. See you there.**


	33. Chapter 33: Breaking Through

**Hey there! Just one thing I forgot to mention about Scootaloo's and Silver Spoon's parents last chapter; Quick Fix is a pegasus, Pretty Ink, Sterling and Grace Step are all earth ponies.**

**With that out of the way, read on!**

* * *

Diamond Tiara's mouth opened and closed in a good impression of a fish as Chris disappeared in a flash of magic. However it didn't take her long to find her voice again.

"WHAT?!" she shrieked. "WHAT?!"

Applebloom sighed and turned to the other Crusaders as Diamond screamed her fury to the wind. "Come on girls," she said. "We'd best get to sortin' all these bags out."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded and the three of them moved over to the pile, opening and sorting through the contents of the bags. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was trying to comfort Diamond Tiara.

"Come on Di," Silver said, laying a consoling hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe it won't be so bad?"

"Not so bad?" Diamond said, incredulous. "We're stuck here with those losers for four whole days. I think that's the very definition of bad."

Silver hesitated. She sort of had a point. "I guess," she said. "But at least we're both here." Diamond gave a small smile.

"You're right. We're still way cooler than those three. We just need to stick together."

Silver returned Diamond's smile. "Exactly."

"Alright you two," Applebloom called over. "This tent's yours." A large bag hit the ground behind them with a thump. Before Diamond Tiara could even think of a reply the farm filly had walked back over to the other blank flanks, who were already unpacking their own tent.

"Well," she said, resigned to her fate, "let's get this thing set up."

"Um," Silver said. "Do… you actually know how to set up a tent."

Diamond paused for a second then shook her head. "No. But if they can do it," she pointed at the Crusaders, who were already underway with erecting their tent, "how hard can it be?"

* * *

Applebloom grunted in satisfaction as she tightened the last guy rope. Her experience camping with Applejack and Big Mac was paying off, and she, Sweetie and Scootaloo had had no trouble setting their tent up.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on the other hoof…

"This doesn't look right."

"Why's it all tangled?"

"Where are the poles supposed to go?"

"Stop pulling, you're going to tear it."

Applebloom sighed as the two rich fillies attempted to work out which way of the tent was up. She may not like them much, and it was maybe a little funny watching them struggle with something so simple, but Chris had said to try and get along and work together. And she supposed she would much rather have a friend than an enemy, so she could at least try to make nice.

"Hey," she said. "Do you two want any help?"

"Not from you blank flank," Diamond snapped.

Applebloom decided to let the blank flank remark pass. "Look Ah just want to help ya get yer tent set up-"

"And I said we don't need your help."

Applebloom sighed and was about to walk away when her fellow Crusaders jumped in.

"What's the deal with you two?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah," Sweetie piped up. "Applebloom was just trying to be nice and help you out. You didn't need to be mean."

"We are perfectly fine on our own," Diamond said forcefully. "We're not interested in getting help from a bunch of blank flanks who constantly mess things up."

"Unless you haven't noticed we got our tent set up just fine!"

"Congratulations, you should probably all get a medal for that."

"You two should get medals for being the biggest BRATS IN TOWN!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"I CALLED YOU A BRAT-"

"CAN IT!" Applebloom shouted. The argument halted and Scootaloo gave her earth pony friend a confused look.

"But-"

"No Scootaloo. If they wanna set up the tent themselves, then we'll let 'em. We should go find some wood for the fire anyhow." Scootaloo grumbled for a moment before trudging off, quickly followed by Sweetie. Applebloom made to follow them, then paused and looked over her shoulder. "Ya'll might wanna look in the instructions if'n ya wanna get it set up before nightfall though."

Diamond hmphed and stuck her nose up as the farm filly trotted off. Nopony noticed Silver Spoon's slightly thoughtful expression. _Did Applebloom, reckless, stupid, holier-than-thou Applebloom, just try and help them? Just to be nice?_

* * *

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon eventually managed to get a passable tent set up, thanks to the small instruction sheet they found under the tangled canvas. The Crusaders had returned with plenty of firewood and some stones for the fire pit. They'd all had lunch in silence, each group determined not to talk to the other. The two groups had spent the rest of the day as far apart as possible, with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sitting outside the tents and the Crusaders down the hill by a small stream.

Diamond sighed where she lay, staring up at the clouds. She had to admit, it was kind of nice to get out of the mansion and just hang out with Silver Spoon away from the butlers and maids. Out here she wasn't so much concerned with acting like a proper lady. If it had just been her and Silver she would say it was actually a perfect way to spend their weekend. Unfortunately, with the Blank Flank Brigade around, it was likely something would go terribly wrong at any moment. Those three attracted trouble like honey did flies. All those crazy adventures and schemes they came up with to try and get a cutie mark. Always going out and getting in to all sorts of trouble. They never got their cutie marks out of it, but for some reason Diamond couldn't fathom they never seemed at all put out. They only seemed more enthusiastic for their next silly quest. Was there something Diamond Tiara was missing?

Silver Spoon's inner thoughts were a bit more haphazard then Diamond's. The incident with Applebloom earlier had her still thrown off balance. The Crusaders always acted like they were superior to her and Diamond, hadn't they? And yet, Applebloom, the ringleader of the Crusaders, had offered to help them, just because she could. Something in her mental calculations didn't add up.

Meanwhile, down at the stream…

"I still think we should prank them," Scootaloo grumbled, kicking a small pebble into the water.

"How would that help, Scoots?" Applebloom asked. "That'd only make 'em dislike us more."

"So?"

Applebloom sighed. "So, that'd make near impossible to try and even talk with 'em. We're here to try and get to be friends with 'em, not make things worse."

"Applebloom has a point," Sweetie Belle said. "Chris did say we should try to work together and become friends."

"Ah don't wanna do it just because Chris told me to," Applebloom said, sounding tired. "Ah really do wanna try and work things out with them. Ah don't like fightnin', even with ponies like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."

"She's right," Sweetie said. "I'd much rather have a friend than an enemy."

Scootaloo sighed. "Me too I guess. But how would we even manage something like that? We're talking about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, two of the biggest bullies in school."

"Well, we managed to get Babs to be friends with us," Sweetie reasoned. "It can't be that much harder, can it?"

"That was different," said Scootaloo. "Babs was only bullying us because she got bullied in Manehattan and didn't want get bullied here. I don't think Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon have ever been bullied in their life."

"That idea may still work though," Applebloom said, perking up a bit. "What if we could find out _why_ they bully everypony? Maybe then we could figure out some way to fix it or help them with it, or whatever."

"Yeah," said Sweetie. "That could work."

Scootaloo thought about it for a while. Then she sighed. "I guess we can give it a go."

Applebloom smiled. _This just might work,_ she thought. "Oh, and Scoots?"

"Hmm?"

"Try not to get into anymore arguments with those two. It won't help us make friends any if we're hurlin' names at 'em."

Scootaloo struggled with herself for a moment. "Alright Applebloom. I'm not entirely convinced that this'll work, but we can at least give it a try."

* * *

Dinner that night was eaten in silence. When the plates were clear the fillies just sat around the campfire, staring quietly into the dancing flames. It wasn't the comfortable, companionable silence that could go on for hours. Rather it was tense and unsure, that kind of silence that everyone wants to break but no one can think of any way to do it.

"Why are you two so mean to us?"

Applebloom's head snapped up and she stared at Scootaloo in surprise. The orange pegasus was looking at Diamond and Silver over the fire, her gaze cool. Diamond and Silver looked surprised that she was talking to them.

"W-what?" Silver said.

"Why are you guys so mean to us? What's the point, what do you gain from it? Do you really enjoy making other ponies miserable?"

Diamond Tiara's voice didn't seem to want to work. No excuses or reasons occurred to her as her jaw floundered. Silver Spoon chewed on her lip, feeling even more wrong-hoofed. Now Scootaloo, quick to argue, sharp retort Scootaloo, was trying to get to know them better?

Scootaloo's gaze flicked between them as the rich fillies failed to answer. Eventually she sighed and said, "You know what? Never mind. I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, me too," said Sweetie Belle.

"Me three," said Applebloom. "G'night you two."

Diamond replied automatically before she could stop herself. "Goodnight." Applebloom seemed to hesitate slightly before ducking inside the Crusader's tent. For a fair while Diamond and Silver sat by the fire, each consumed in their own thoughts.

"Come on Di," Silver said eventually. "We should get some sleep too."

"Yeah."

But for a long time sleep wouldn't come. Diamond Tiara lay in her sleeping bag, gazing up at the canvas roof. Her thought wouldn't settle as she mulled over the question Scootaloo had posed.

"Silver?" she whispered. "You awake?"

"… Yeah."

"Are you thinking about what Scootaloo said?"

"… Yeah."

"… Can you… think of an answer?"

"… No." There was a rustling in the dark as Silver sat up. "Can you?"

"… No." Diamond sat up too. "But, I mean, we're better than them, right? We've got money and cutie marks and… and they don't." It was strange, the argument that had somehow always satisfied her before now seemed so… flimsy.

"Maybe. Do you enjoy it? Making other ponies unhappy I mean."

"I… I don't… I never really… thought about it. I just… pushed away any doubts because I thought we were better than them. Somehow."

"Yeah. Me too. Do you think they really want to be friends?"

Diamond sighed and rubbed at her temples. "I don't know."

"… I think they do. They seem… sincere."

Diamond sighed again. "When did things get complicated?"

Silver thought as she lay back down. "I think when Applebloom offered to help us with our tent."

Diamond lay back and pulled her sleeping bag over herself. "Yeah. Goodnight Silver."

"Goodnight Di."

* * *

**And so Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon start asking the hard questions.**

**Favourite, follow and review. Let me know what you think of this arch so far.**


	34. Chapter 34: Disaster

Diamond Tiara was woken early the next morning by the smell of cooking food. She groaned and cracked her eyes open. She lay there for a few moments before sitting up and stretching with a yawn. Silver Spoon was still fast asleep, her sleeping bag rising and falling with her gentle breathing. Fighting back another yawn, Diamond stepped out of the tent into the fresh, early morning air. Applebloom was sitting next to the fireplace, frying several hay strips over the embers of last night's fire. She glanced up from the pan briefly as Diamond Tiara let out another yawn.

"Mornin'," she said.

"… Morning. Why are you up so early?"

Applebloom shrugged. "Ah always have to get up this early on the farm, what with all the chores we gotta do."

"I never have to do any chores," Diamond Tiara said. She didn't say it like she was boasting or rubbing it in Applebloom's face. It was simply a statement of fact. For a while the two of them sat in silence, neither having any idea what to say to the other.

"Hey," Applebloom said eventually. "Would you mind keepin' an eye on breakfast? Ah'm gonna go wake Sweetie and Scoots up."

"Um… I… don't know how to cook."

Applebloom looked at the rich filly across from her in confusion. _She doesn't know how to cook_, she thought. _Of course. She'd have maids and cooks to do all those sortsa things for her._ "Well Ah'm not really askin' ya to cook," Applebloom said. "Ya just gotta make sure it don't burn while Ah'm getting' the others up."

Diamond nodded. "Sure, okay."

As Applebloom got up she thought to herself about what had just happened. For the briefest of moments the filly across from her wasn't the snobbish, rich Diamond Tiara from school, but rather an unsure, inexperienced filly. _It's weird,_ Applebloom thought. _At school she's got always seemed so confident. Ah suppose havin' somepony else do everythin' for ya your whole life means ya don' know how to do much for yourself._

* * *

That day passed much like the previous one. The groups spent most of their tie apart. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't speak much, as wrapped up in their own thoughts as they were. When they did talk it was either about something of no consequence, or something regarding these complicated new ideas. The Crusaders spent most of their morning discussing either new ways to get a cutie mark or Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. After lunch the Crusaders announced they were going for a walk and asked if Diamond or Silver would like to join them. The two had refused and elected to look after the campsite. The Crusaders had returned as the sun was getting low and after dinner everypony had turned in.

Diamond Tiara's eyes snapped open as she awoke. The inside of the tent was dark, the barest hint of moonlight making its way through the canvas. Her eyes scanned the dancing shadows on the sides of tents as she wondered what had woken her up. Then a twig snapped somewhere outside the tent. Diamond sat upright, her heart in her throat. She reached over and gently shook Silver Spoon.

"Silver, wake up," she whispered. Silver Spoon groaned.

"What is it Di?" she mumbled sleepily.

"I think there's something near the camp."

"What makes you say that?"

Another stick cracked, this time sounding closer.

"That does," replied Diamond. Silver was wide awake now, sitting up and hugging her sleeping bag around her. The two of them waited in darkness to hear another branch breaking, but nothing came. Then, just as they were starting to relax, the howling started. The fillies whimpered and shuffled closer to each other. The howl faded into silence for a few moments, before a long reply sounded. Diamond Tiara dry swallowed and tiptoed over to the tent's entrance, followed by Silver. They stuck their head's out and looked around, afraid that some monster would charge up at any moment. There was a rustle and the Crusader's heads popped out of their tent. Applebloom gave the campsite a cursory glance over before beckoning to Diamond and Silver. The rich fillies nervously crept out of their tent, moving close to the campfire. The Crusaders did the same.

"That sounds like timberwolves," Applebloom whispered. "They sound close. Ugh, they smell close too."

"We-we'll be fine right?" Diamond's voice shook as she trembled at the thought of the wooden beasts.

"Ah think so. Chris said that rock would stop any wildlife from getting' near."

"I hope it works," Sweetie said.

The five fillies huddled close to the fire as the howling grew louder and closer. The sound of heavy bodies moving around carried through the still night. And then it stopped. No more howling could be heard, the only sound was the gentle breeze rustling the grass.

"… Ah think they're gone," said Applebloom. Then she caught sight of Diamond Tiara. Her eyes were wide, the pupils dilated and she was pointing a shaking hoof at something over Applebloom's shoulder. Slowly, Applebloom turned and saw the luminous green eyes staring at her out of the dark. More eyes faded in from the gloom all around them, utterly surrounding them. And then every single timberwolf let out a piercing, haunting howl.

The fillies screamed and the timberwolves surged forward. Several tore through the tents, ripping the fabric to shreds. One of the snarling plant monsters charged at Sweetie Belle, teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Then Applebloom's hooves caught it upside the head in a powerful buck that sent it stumbling.

"RUN!" Applebloom roared. The fillies needed no extra heeding, galloping after the farm filly, terror fuelling them to speeds beyond ordinary. Diamond Tiara had no idea where she was going, all she was focusing on was staying as close on Applebloom's tail as possible. Trees rushed past them as the howls of the timberwolves and the sound of heavy paws hitting the ground chased them through the night. Tears started flowing down Diamonds face. _I don't want to die out here_, she thought desperately. But eventually the howls grew more distant and all sounds of pursuit faded away. The fillies came down from their breakneck sprint to a run, then a jog, then finally to a stop, gasping for breath.

"Ah think… we got away," Applebloom said in between gasps. "Scootaloo… Sweetie Belle… you okay?"

There was no reply. Applebloom and Diamond Tiara looked around.

"Silver Spoon?" Diamond called. But there was no Silver Spoon. Or Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo. There was only Applebloom and Diamond Tiara, standing under the twisted, moss covered bows of what could only be the trees of the Everfree Forest.

"Oh, pony feathers," Applebloom muttered.

* * *

A frown creased Chris's forehead as the night air whipped by him. Something didn't feel right. About ten minutes ago he'd been alerted by the proximity detection spell he'd put on the rock going off. That didn't bother him too much, he didn't expect the girls to be able to spend four nights out here without something getting curious. No, what had him worried was that it was the only spell that was triggered. Neither the attention redirection nor the look-that-way nor the you've-forgotten-something-at-home spells had been activated. Sure it could just be that whatever it was had left of its own accord, but Chris didn't want to take chances. So he'd put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a zip-up hoodie, put his shoes on and flown out. He was pretty sure he was getting close to where the campsite had been.

He almost fell out of the sky when he caught sight of the camp. Magic surged as he piled on speed, reaching the ground in mere seconds.

"Oh, no no no," he muttered as he took in the destruction around him. The tents had been reduced to scraps of cloth fluttering in the wind. The bags of food had been torn open and devoured. Claw marks tore up the sod beneath his feet. His hand dove into his pocket and pulled out his phone, quickly making a call. A few moments later the call was answered.

"Chris? Why're ya calling this early," said Applejack's sleep thickened voice.

"It's urgent Applejack. Something's happened to the girls. Get to the campsite, pronto."

"Wait, what?" Applejack sounded wide awake now. "What happened? Are they all ok?"

"They're missing. Get here as fast as you can, I'm going to call the others."

"Ah'm on my way."

* * *

Barely five minutes later the girls' parents and guardians were gathered around Chris, all with similar looks of worry.

"You said that rock of yours would keep them safe," said Filthy Rich.

"Yes I did and I'm truly sorry. I'll figure out what went wrong later, but for now we need to focus on finding the girls."

Applejack sniffed the air. "Smells like timberwolves were around here."

"And I'd say there were a lot of them, judging by how much they tore up the place," said Sterling.

"Look, over there," said Rarity, pointing a hoof. "There are some hoof prints on the ground."

"Good eye Rarity," said Chris. "The girls can't be too far ahead. Come on."

The group set off, Chris at its head, following the five sets of hoof prints. As they did they noticed the prints were slowly splitting into two groups. Then they reached the edge of the Everfree and the tracks kept going.

"They went into the Everfree?" Pretty Ink gasped. "Why would they have gone in there?"

"They were probably scared outta their skins," said Applejack. "Ah don' think they rightly knew where they were goin'."

"What do we do now?" asked Filthy Rich.

"Why, we go after them of course," said Rarity. "As much as I deplore going into that forest I won't let it stop me from keeping my sister safe." There was a general chorus of agreement.

"We'll need to split into groups," said Chris. "Rarity, go with Mr. Rich and Pretty Ink. Use your gem finding spell to track down Diamond Tiara. Uh, those are real diamonds in her tiara, right?" Filthy nodded. "Good. Applejack, Sterling and Grace Step, you take the other tracks. Quick Fix and I will be in the air. If you get into any trouble at all scream really loud."

"You can count on that," said Pretty Ink.

"Alright everypony. Let's get moving."

* * *

Things were going very badly, Silver Spoon reflected. In their mad rush to escape the timberwolves she, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had become separated from Applebloom and Diamond Tiara. Added to that they'd run headlong into thee Everfree Forest and this was quickly turning into the worst night ever.

"Scootaloo we're going the wrong way."

"No we're not Sweetie Belle. Zecora's hut is this way, I know it is."

"And how exactly do you know that?"

Silver sighed as the two bickered. A large part of her wanted to offer her help, even though she couldn't think of any real way that she could help. But a very small part couldn't help but think that they wouldn't want her help anyway.

"We're going around in circles Scootaloo."

"No were not."

"Yes we are, we've been past that tree before."

"No we haven't, I don't remember any tree that looked like that."

"Ugh. Silver Spoon, do you recognise that tree?"

Silver's head shot up, surprised that she was being asked something. Sweetie Belle was pointing at a twisted old tree that leaned out over the path they were taking.

"Uh, I don't know," Silver stammered. "I haven't really been looking at the trees." Scootaloo sighed. "… I'm sorry I can't help you girls any."

Scootaloo and Sweetie were both surprised by this statement. "Huh?" they chorused.

Silver shuffled her hoof. "I'm completely useless to you out here. You two know what you're doing, you're always going on these sorts of adventures. All I ever do is… nothing really."

Sweetie trotted over and threw her hoof around Silver's shoulders. "Oh don't think like that," she said. "You do lots of things like… uh…"

"Nothing very nice," Silver said. "I never even thought about how I was making other ponies feel. I've been thinking about what you asked us Scootaloo. Looking back, all that being mean never got us anything. Maybe a couple of laughs at the time, but then everypony ended up hating us."

"… Well I don't hate you," said Sweetie.

"Wh… what?"

"Not anymore at least. I may have disliked you a few days ago, but I don't think I hate you now."

Silver opened her mouth to say something when a low, threatening growl pierced the silence of the forest. The girls turned around, their blood running cold, as a lone timberwolf padded out of the shadows. Drool dripped from its maws as hungry eyes locked onto the three fillies. Immediately Scootaloo came forward, interposing herself between the wolf and the others. Then, before she could do anything else, something grey slid past her.

Sweetie and Scootaloo were speechless as Silver galloped at the timberwolf. Its wooden paw rose, its claws razor sharp. It fell in a devastating swipe that connected with nothing but air. Silver's jump carried her over the paw, her rear hoof lashing out, catching the wolf in the side of the head. The wolf fell back then charged with a snarl. Silver swayed back, the claws passing an inch from her glasses, then stepped forward with a punch to the wolf's nose. Before the wolf could recover she followed it up with a hook and an uppercut, before jumping into the air and delivering a spinning kick to its jaw. She landed in a crouch as the wolf fled, yelping loudly with its tail between its legs. Silver took several deep breaths as the adrenaline faded, then turned around. Sweetie and Scootaloo were gaping at her like she had two heads. Silver coughed a little self-consciously.

"Um…" she said. Sweetie's jaw pulled closed but her eyes remained wide.

"How… how did you do that?" she asked.

"My mom does martial arts as a hobby and I've started joining her," Silver explained. "I'm getting pretty good."

"Pretty good?!" Scootaloo cried. "That was awesome!"

Silver blushed. "Really?"

Scootaloo nodded emphatically. "I wish I knew how to fight like that. You know, you're alright Silver Spoon."

A wide smile plastered itself to Silver's face at that. Sweetie grinned too, then put on her business face.

"Come on girls," she said. "We'd better get out of here in case more show up." Scootaloo and Silver nodded, and they started walking.

* * *

**I've really been enjoying writing these chapters. I hope you guys out there have been enjoying reading them.**

**I'm going to be trying to post these on a more regular basis from now on. I'm thinking weekly, maybe fortnightly. What do you guys think? Weekly or fortnightly?**

**Next chapter we'll be back with Diamond Tiara and Applebloom. I wonder how they're getting on.**


	35. Chapter 35: Out of the Frying Pan

For the umpteenth time that night Diamond Tiara tripped over a stray root and ended up face first in the mud. At first it had been humiliating, then it had been infuriating, and now it was just plain depressing. She heard a tired sigh and Applebloom's hoof entered her vision.

"Here," the farm filly said. Diamond sniffled a little and took the hoof, Applebloom hauling her up.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Don't mention it."

Diamond watched as Applebloom turned around and started walking again. Diamond hadn't seen her so much as stumble once.

"I'm so useless," she said.

Applebloom stopped and whipped around, surprised that such a statement would be coming from Diamond Tiara of all ponies. "Now that ain't true Diamond."

"It is and you know it. I have no idea what to do out here and I'm just slowing you down. Even back in Ponyville I never did anything useful. I just made everypony miserable." Tears were falling thick and fast down Diamond's cheeks now. "And somehow I figured that it was okay and I was better than everypony, but really I was just a stupid brat!"

Applebloom stared as Diamond Tiara broke down into a sobbing fit. This was… unexpected. She felt like she should say something, but she wasn't quite sure what. She sighed. "Look, Diamond. Ah ain't gonna say you ain't right, cause that wouldn't be honest of me. But Ah think the fact that you're regrettin' all the mean things you did shows that you're a good pony."

"You – you really think so?" Diamond choked. Applebloom thought for a second then nodded.

"Eeyup. Mah sister say that everypony makes mistakes, but it's how you learn from those mistakes and grow that makes you who you are."

Diamond sniffled and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "There's something that I've been wondering Applebloom."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Do you actually care that much about getting your cutie mark?"

Applebloom gave her a funny look. "Course Ah do. Why would you think Ah don't."

"Well it's just that whenever you, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo go on one of your adventures you always come out happy, even when you don't get your cutie marks. Sure you may be bummed for a little bit but you always end up bouncing back and trying again."

Applebloom thought for a bit. "Ah suppose right at the start it was all about getting' our cutie marks. Now though it's more about havin' fun with mah best friends. Ah reckon even after we all get our cutie marks we'll still be crusadin' together."

"I wish Silver and I went on adventures like that," Diamond said quietly.

"You know… maybe you could join us." Diamond Tiara's eyes widened in surprise. "Ah don' wanna fight with you forever Diamond. In fact Ah'd prefer it if we could be friends." Applebloom smiled, offering a hoof. "Whaddya say?"

Diamond Tiara gave a small, watery smile and took the hoof. "I think I'd like that," she said. Applebloom's smile widened. Then her eyes flicked to something over Diamond's shoulder and the smile dripped away, her pupils contracting to pinpricks. Diamond spun, her heart jumping to her throat. Staring out of the shadows were a pair of luminous green eyes. With a snarl the timberwolf leapt from the shadows, its jaws opening wide to catch Diamond. Applebloom grabbed the pink filly's tail and hauled her back, the timberwolf's jaw snapping closed a hair's breadth from her nose. Applebloom spat out the tail and charged forward, spinning at the last minute to deliver a Apple Family buck to it's nose.

"Diamond! Run!" she yelled. "I'll distract it."

Before Diamond knew what she was doing her legs were moving, carrying her as fast as they could away from the timberwolf. Applebloom would be fine, right? She probably deals with this all the time. Diamond Tiara planted her hooves, bringing herself to a skidding halt. She couldn't just leave Applebloom by herself.

Applebloom tumbled across the ground and rocked to a halt. She slowly picked herself up as the timberwolf advanced. She tensed herself, ready to charge, when something pink shot by her with a savage war cry.

The timberwolf wasn't entirely sure what happened next. All it remember was a lot of pink hooves running into its face, accompanied by endless screaming. Applebloom felt her jaw drop as Diamond Tiara finally let up from her assault. The timberwolf stumbled around for a second before collapsing. Diamond was breathing heavily, stray strands of her mane falling across her face.

"Whoa!" said Applebloom. "Ah didn' know you could do that."

"Truthfully," said Diamond, "neither did I. But I had to do something."

"Whaddya mean?"

Diamond smiled shyly and shuffled a hoof. "You're my friend. Right?"

Applebloom smiled and nodded. "Right. Now let's get movin'. Ah don' fancy bein' here when he wakes up."

* * *

The Everfree Forest rushed past below Chris. His eyes scanned the treetops, looking for any indication of the girls. He heard the sound of beating wings next to him and looked over at Quick Fix.

"Can you see anything?" the pegasus asked. Chris shook his head.

"The trees are too thick. Unless the girls are in a clearing at the exact moment we pass over them I doubt we'll be able to find them."

"Looks like it's all up to the others then."

Meanwhile Filthy Rich and Pretty Ink were trotting along behind Rarity, whose horn was aglow with her gem finding spell. After a second Rarity frowned and put out the spell.

"She's too far away to get a proper lock on, but she's definitely in this general direction," Rarity said. "For now we should keep following the tracks."

Filthy and Pretty nodded. Then Pretty pointed to something on the ground. "Look at that," she said. "Are those more timberwolf tracks?"

"Yes I think so," said Rarity. "Oh and it looks like there's a lot of them. They must have been following the girls."

"In that case we need to hurry," said Filthy. The others nodded and broke into a gallop.

In another part of the forest Applejack, Sterling and Grace Step were discovering the same thing.

"That there's a lot of timberwolf tracks," said Applejack.

"They must be following the girls," said Grace. "We need to pick up the pace."

* * *

Diamond Tiara was running as fast as her burning muscles would allow her. She and Applebloom crashed their way through the undergrowth, the howling in the distance propelling them every onward. They whipped past trees, jumped over a fallen log, crashed through a bush and ran headlong into something going the other way.

"OW!"

"OOF!"

"HEY!"

"Wait a minute, Silver Spoon?"

"Diamond?"

"Applebloom?"

"Applebloom?"

"Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo. You're okay!" Applebloom pulled her two closest friends into a hug, which they gladly returned.

"Hey we can all have a hug later," said Diamond. "We're being chased by timberwolves remember?"

As if in response to her words a chorus of howls sounded out on two sides.

"Oh yeah," said Applebloom.

"You're being chased too?" Silver asked.

"Yes which means we should probably keep running," Diamond cried. Everypony quickly agreed this was a good idea and took off in a sprint. The howl's grew closer and louder as they ran, desperation fuelling their speed. But desperation could only get them so far, and Applebloom could feel her strength failing. Then they burst out of the undergrowth into a clearing, a towering cliff rising before them. They skidded to a halt, staring up at the daunting precipice.

"I don't suppose anyone brought climbing gear," Diamond said weakly. The fillies turned back to the forest, huddling close together. Glowing eyes surrounded them, cutting off any escape. The wolves slunk from the shadows, all ready for a meal. The girls pulled each other close and closed their eyes, silently praying for a miracle.

"YEE-HAW!"

"Wait, Applejack?" Applebloom said, her eyes snapping open as the orange farm pony charged out of the forest. Her body turned as she neared a timberwolf, her rear hooves lashing out in a buck to the side of the wolf's body. With years of apple bucking under Applejack's belt, the timberwolf never stood a chance and shattered into small pieces of wood. The other timberwolves howled in anger, attempting to close in on Applejack. Then Grace Step charged out of the woods with a look of fury on her face.

"BACK AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!" she roared. Silver looked a little stunned. Then Sterling appeared, trotting after his wife at a more sedate pace.

"Go get 'em honey," he called.

His wife did just that. Where Silver Spoon had been rather good at martial arts, her mother had elevated it into an art form. She danced around the wolves, dealing out punches and kicks on all sides, each one smashing through their wooden bodies. Every move slid into the next in a beautiful, savage, graceful display of peerless flank-kicking.

"Your mom is cool," Applebloom stated.

"Your sister's cool too," Silver replied. While Grace Step had definitely been dealing out the hurt, Applejack had done her fair share too. Any timberwolf that got too close was reduced to splinters by a powerful buck, and those that stayed at a distance found themselves the targets of buck-projected rocks.

"Are you girls okay?" Sterling asked as he walked over. Silver nodded.

"We're all fine daddy," she said.

"That's good to hear."

"Ah think that's all of 'em," Applejack said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Yes I believe so."

"Ah have to say, those are some mighty fine moves ya got there."

Grace giggled modestly. "Thank you. Now let's see to the girls."

"Applejack!" Applebloom cheered as her sister trotted over. "Ya'll found us. Ah thought we were gonna get eaten."

"Uh, was Rarity with you?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah and my parents?" Scootaloo added. Applejack nodded.

"Eeyup. Hopefully she should be along soon-"

"SWEETIE BELLE!" There was a blur of white and Sweetie found herself wrapped in a bone crushing hug, courtesy of Rarity. "Oh Sweetie Belle you're alive!" the seamstress cried. "You're not hurt are you? Did any of the timberwolves get you?" The only response was a strangled attempt to breathe.

As Sweetie fought against her sister's embrace Diamond Tiara was being fussed over by her father and Scootaloo was sharing a hug with her mother.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Pretty Ink sighed.

"Me too. Where's dad?"

"He's flying above the forest with Chris. We should probably call him, let him know where we are."

"Good idea," said Applejack. "We should get out of here as fast as we… can…" The farm pony trailed of as the sound of wood rattling on wood grew louder. Sticks scattered across the ground were drawing together, encased in sickly green light, rising up into a new form. Applejack gulped as not one, but two king timberwolves finished assembling themselves.

"Oh goodness," said Rarity.

"Uh, any ideas Applejack?" Filthy Rich said as he shielded Diamond Tiara.

"Panic?" Applejack offered as the king timberwolves advanced. They didn't like these ponies. These ponies had hurt them. The lead one snarled and snapped its jaws, ready to eat well.

Then Chris dropped out of the sky, landing in a crouch. The timberwolves tilted their heads, curious about this new arrival. Chris straightened up, calm and collected.

"This is the part where you run away," he said. The lead timberwolf snarled in response before leaping forward. There was a dull thunk as its claws impacted on a wall of cerulean light. Chris flicked his hand and the shield turned sharp, dozens of spears of energy piercing the timberwolf from all sides. Another flick and the spears convulsed, ripping the wolf to dust. The other one roared and charged. Chris's hands glowed as he planted them on the ground and a pillar of light erupted underneath the charging timberwolf, sending it skywards. He drew back his arm, light coalescing in his hand, and flicked it forward. A volley of magic missiles screamed through the air and hit the wolf, night momentarily turning to day with the explosion.

"So," Chris said cheerily as pieces of charred wood fell around him. "How is everyone?"

* * *

"So the camping trip actually worked?" Rarity asked as they left the forest, looking a little stunned.

"Yep," said Applebloom. "We're all friends now."

"Although getting chased through the Everfree Forest by timberwolves may have sped the process up a little bit," said Diamond Tiara.

"Surviving mortal danger together is good reason to start a friendship," said Chris to the amusement of everyone. "I think everyone's very proud of what you five have accomplished." The fillies blushed as the ponies nodded. Then Applebloom seemed to remember something.

"Oh, hang on a second. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, we need to talk in private for a second."

Chris raised an eyebrow as the three fillies trotted over to a nearby tree and put their heads together. There was some whispering, some hoof pointing and a lot of vigorous nodding. Then the three came back, looking very serious.

"We've come to a decision," Applebloom announced. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, you are hereby unanimously offered the title of Honorary Cutie Mark Crusader. Do you accept?"

Diamond and Silver were confused. "But we already have our cutie marks," Diamond pointed out.

"That's why it's honorary."

"But-"

"Just say yes."

Diamond and Silver broke into identical grins and said, "Yes!"

"Alright!"

"Welcome aboard."

"It official then."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!"

Chris face palmed. _Oh heaven help us all, _he thought.

* * *

_Dear Princess Celestia_

_Today we all learned a lesson about friendship. _

_A couple actually. We learned that just because somepony can be mean, doesn't mean that that's all there is to them. Sometimes you really need to talk honestly and openly with them to get to know who they really are underneath. You may even end up making a new friend._

_We also learned that just because you may have something that other ponies don't, that doesn't make you any better than anypony else. You should never use it as an excuse to bully other ponies._

_Your faithful subjects,_

_Applebloom, Sweeite Belle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon._

* * *

"Twilight, I think we have a problem."

Twilight looked up from the book she was reading. It was late at night and Spike was in bed. She'd gotten back earlier that day and had immediately been told of the events that took place over the weekend.

"What kind of problem Chris?" Chris held up a small rock.

"This is the rock I was telling you about, the one that was supposed to protect the girls. I've spent a good few hours examining it and I've found something that has me worried."

"What is it?"

"The spell matrix I imprinted on it has been tampered with. Altered to deactivate some of the spells."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Are you saying that somepony… deliberately tried to get the girls attacked?"

"I don't know Twilight. Whoever it was they did a good job. There's no magical residue to track them with. Until we have more information though I think it would be best if this just stayed between us."

Twilight nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuuuuun!**

**Follow, favourite and review. See you all next time.**


	36. Chapter 36: Always Read the Label

**An author is never late, dear reader. Nor are they early, they publish precisely when they mean to.**

* * *

One of the things you learned as a mail-mare, Derpy Hooves contemplated, was not just how to deliver letters, but how to deliver letters to certain ponies. For instance, some ponies preferred their letters to be delivered at certain times. Some ponies were very cranky in the mornings and their letters should be left until after their first cup of coffee. Some ponies would chat with her for hours if given half a chance. And then there was Pinkie Pie.

Ponyville's resident party pony was something of a mixed bag when it came to delivering letters. Sometimes she would be so excited that she'd all but tackle Derpy out of the air to get her letters. Other times she reacted like any other pony, taking the letter with a polite "Thanks Derpy". Once or twice she'd been waiting _inside her mailbox_. As a Ponyville native Derpy had shrugged, delivered the letter, and flown away before she had enough time to think about it. Today it seemed like Derpy was dealing with the first scenario. She could see Pinkie waiting by her mailbox, bouncing on the spot and wearing a category seven Pinkie Smile. Derpy decided to go with her default fall back plan; get in, deliver and get the hay out.

"Hey Derpy," Pinkie yelled as soon as she spotted the wall-eyed pegasus. "Ya got anything for me?"

"Yep. I've got a package with your name on it." Derpy pulled a brown paper wrapped package and a clipboard out of her saddlebags. "Sign there please," she said, holding out a quill. Pinkie took it and signed her name so fast Derpy swore she saw smoke coming from the quill. Then the pink mare grabbed the package and hugged it to her chest, hopping up and down and giggling hysterically. Then in a blur of pink she was gone, the door of Sugarcube Corner swinging wildly. Derpy just sighed and flew off. There were other letters to deliver, she didn't have time to ponder the strangeness that was Pinkie Pie.

* * *

Mrs Cake watched with a raised eyebrow as Pinkie zoomed into the kitchen, a package atop her head. Pinkie slammed the package onto the kitchen counter and quickly ripped off the brown paper. Underneath was what looked like a regular bag of sugar, except for the large words on the front that proclaimed 'Super Sugar'. Pinkie slowly lifted the bag above her head, staring up at in reverence while a choir sang Hallelujah.

"It's so beautiful," Pinkie squeaked, tears forming in her eyes. Then she put the bag down, the choir cutting out, and started zipping around the kitchen.

"This is so super-de-duper-y amazing! I'll be able to make the yummiest cupcakes ever with this super sugar. And even better I'll be able to make some for everypony in Ponyville. I'm so glad I paid extra for express delivery. I don't think I'd have been able to wait another week. Now," she slammed a bowl on the counter and rolled her shoulders. "Let's get baking."

Pinkie carefully reached over to the bag of super sugar and cautiously opened it. When there was no beam of light coming from the depths of the bag Pinkie frowned and looked inside. It just looked like regular sugar. A bit disappointing really. Then Pinkie shrugged. It didn't really matter what the ingredients looked like, she supposed. The party pony quickly read over the fine print on the side of the bag, then zipped off, coming back with a set of scales and a pair of tweezers. She put a bowl on top of the scales and, after some quick math in her head, poured some of the sugar into it, watching as the needle on the scales went up. Then she put the bag down, grabbed the tweezers and started moving the sugar grain by grain, carefully watching the needle as it ticked minutely higher. Eventually she reached the perfect weight and took the bowl off the scales. She sifted in the flour then added the eggs, milk, butter and vanilla essence before flicking on her electric beater and mixing them into a smooth batter. A couple of minutes and a cupcake tray later, Pinkie was watching her creations cook in the oven. She sat there the whole time, her eyes flicking between the timer on the oven and the cupcakes. Several times Mr and Mrs Cake came in and bustled around the kitchen, but Pinkie didn't take her eyes off the cupcakes, just in case they exploded. She was fairly sure they wouldn't, but explosions had been occurring in the kitchen quite frequently recently and she felt like playing it safe. Eventually the timer rang and Pinkie pulled the tray out of the oven, sighing with relief that nothing had gone boom. While the cupcakes cooled she began cleaning up the kitchen, sticking the bowl into the sink and grabbing the super sugar of the counter. _Hang on a second_, she thought. _The bag feels a bit light._ Feeling a bit worried Pinkie put the bag on the scales, her eyes widening. _I'm sure I didn't use that much sugar in my cupcakes._

"Mr and Mrs Cake!" Pinkie screamed, rushing out of the kitchen.

"Pinkie, dear, what's the matter?" Mrs Cake asked.

"Did something explode again?" Mr Cake asked. Pinkie shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. Did either of you take some sugar out of the bag that was on the kitchen counter?"

"Uh yes I did," Mr Cake said, unsure what the issue was. "Chris came in a little while ago looking to buy some supplies. He said he felt like doing some baking but they were out of what he needed at the library."

Pinkie's eyes widened in horror. Then, to the Cakes' surprise, she jumped into the air accompanied by the sound of a fire alarm going off, then shot out the door in a blur of pink. Mr Cake turned to his wife.

"Was it something I said?" he asked.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle was roused from her studying by a non-stop, extremely fast knocking on the library's front door. She opened and was confronted by a very frantic Pinkie Pie.

"Twilight!" the party pony cried. "There's no time to explain. Where's Chris and what's he doing?"

Twilight didn't know what was going on but answered the question automatically. "He's in the kitchen baking some cupcakes." Pinkie gasped and grabbed Twilight's shoulders.

"We have to stop him before something super-duper bad happens." The pink mare zipped past Twilight, who galloped after her, if only out of curiosity. The door to the kitchen burst open with a loud bang, Pinkie screeching to a halt. Chris raised an eyebrow, a half-eaten cupcake in his hand.

"Can I help you Pinkie?" he said.

"Chris!" Pinkie shouted, despite being only a metre away. "Don't eat any more cupcakes, whatever you do!"

"I've only eaten one. Well one and a half." He looked at the half eaten cupcake in his hand and blushed. "I couldn't help myself. They were really tasty."

Pinkie was staring at him in disbelief. "You ate a whole cupcake already?!"

"Yeah. But there's still enough left for everyone else."

"No you don't understand. That wasn't regular sugar Mr Cake sold you, it was super sugar."

"Super sugar?" Twilight asked. Pinkie nodded emphatically.

"Yup. I ordered it in a couple of weeks ago. It makes all your baked goodies taste so much more scrumptious. But if you have it in too high amounts it can have bad side effects."

Twilight now looked worried and Chris frowned. "I don't feel any diff-" he began. Then he froze. Twilight eyes widened as his pupils dilated massively and a slightly manic grin plastered itself over his face. Then he giggled and held his hands in front of his face, wiggling his fingers.

"I feel tingly," he sang. His aura surrounded him and he lifted off the ground, still giggling as he flipped in mid-air.

"Uh… Pinkie?" said Twilight. "What's happening?"

"Um, I think the disclaimer on the bag said that it was a super sugar rush. Hang on a second, I'll go get the bag." With a whoosh the pink mare was gone, leaving Twilight alone in the kitchen with an upside down Chris, who suddenly stopped giggling.

"Bored," he said, then disappeared in a flash. Twilight started to panic when his voice floated in through the kitchen door. Twilight ran out into the library's main room, where Chris setting up a massive game of dominos using books. The door opened and Pinkie galloped in, a bag atop her head.

"Here you go Twilight," she said. Twilight levitated the bag off her friend's head, taking in the 'Super Sugar' title. She quickly found the disclaimer on the back and started to read aloud.

"Warning: use with caution. Super Sugar's enhanced flavour comes from the extensive amount of magic that the granules are bathed in. DO NOT use a regular amount of Super Sugar in ANY baked good. Using a regular amount of Super Sugar will lead to a super sugar rush. Symptoms of a super sugar rush include; hyperactivity."

"Dominos-dominos-dominos-dominos," said Chris.

"Highly shortened attention span."

"Bored now."

"Recklessness."

"Maybe I should change the colour of my hair."

"A tendency to make bad or ill thought out decisions, reduced forethought, an inability to take anything seriously and frequent laughing." Twilight paused. "Pinkie Chris hasn't said anything for the past five seconds."

"Nope."

"Why is he being quiet?"

"Because he's not here anymore." Twilight gave the library a quick glance over and saw that Pinkie was right; Chris was nowhere to be seen and the front door was ajar.

"Oh horse apples. We'd better go after him. Wait a second, there's more on the bag. 'While in a super sugar rush consuming more super sugar will extend the duration of the rush. Consuming an excessively large amount may cause the super sugar rush to become permanent'. That wouldn't be good. Spike, you stay here and try to make sure that Chris doesn't get at the rest of the cupcakes. Pinkie, you and I are going to track him down. Any idea where to start?"

Pinkie thought for a second. "Well he did say something about changing the colour of his hair. Maybe we could look in the salon."

Twilight smiled. "Great idea Pinkie. Let's go."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but you missed him by just a couple of minutes," the stallion behind the counter of the hair salon said.

"Shoot," said Twilight. "Did he make a mess or anything while he was here?"

"No. He seemed to be acting a bit strange though. He ordered our special perma-dye treatment."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Perma-dye?"

The counter stallion nodded. "It's a special type of magic enhanced dye. It almost never washes out and actually makes your mane grow in that colour."

"Oh. And uh… what colour did he get?"

"Pink," the stallion said. "As in Pinkie Pie pink."

Twilight stared for a moment, then face hoofed. "What in the hay was he thinking?" she grumbled.

"He wasn't thinking Twilight," Pinkie said. "Remember the bag said that he wouldn't think his decisions through while on a super sugar rush."

Twilight sighed. "I get the feeling this is going to be a long day. Did he happen to say anything about where he was going next?"

The stallion put a hoof to his chin and thought. "Hmm. He did say something about getting joke supplies. Maybe you should look in the joke shop."

* * *

"Sorry, ya just missed him," Mr Funny Bone, the owner of the joke shop, said.

"Did he say where he was going next?" Twilight asked.

"Not that I could tell. He paid for his things then ran off, quick as a flash. Sorry I can't help."

"That's alright," Twilight said as she and Pinkie walked out the door. "Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome. And good luck catching up to your friend."

Twilight sighed. "What do we do now? We're never going to catch up to him like this. Have you got any ideas Pinkie?"

The party pony parked her rump and scratched her chin, clearly deep in thought. Then she looked up at the sky and smiled. "Maybe Rainbow Dash can help."

Twilight looked up and noticed the rainbow trail stretching across the sky. "An aerial view could help us track him down. RAINBOW DASH! COME DOWN HERE WE NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

Five seconds later the rainbow maned pegasus was touching down in front of Twilight, landing as lightly as a feather. "Yeah Twilight," she said with a smile. "What do you need?"

"We need your help finding Chris," Twilight explained. "He's gone sort of…"

"Loco in the coco," Pinkie supplied.

"Yes exactly. He's moving around too fast for us to keep up with, so we need to track him from the air."

Rainbow gave her friend a salute. "No problem Twilight. I'm on it."

"One other thing Rainbow," Twilight said before the pegasus could fly off. "His hair is pink now, so you'll need to be on the lookout for that." Rainbow raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Pink?" she asked. Twilight nodded.

"Like Pinkie said, loco in the coco. Which makes it all the more important that we find him quickly."

"Got it," Rainbow said, before rocketing into the air. She levelled off a little way above Ponyville and began searching, her eyes scanning the streets for any sign of her human friend.

"Hey Rainbow Dash," said a cheery voice. As it turned out Chris had somehow managed to get behind her and was bouncing up and down on a small cloud, using it like a trampoline.

"Oh, hey Chris," Rainbow said. The almost too happy smile Chris was wearing was kind of unnerving her. Plus there was the fact that his hair was indeed pink, with a capital P. It almost hurt her eyes to look at his head.

"You looked like you were concentrating. Did you forget where you put something?" Chris asked, still bouncing.

"Uh, no. I was looking for you. Twilight said something about you going a little loopy. I think she wants me to bring you to her or something."

"Oh," Chris said slowly, his eyes widening. Then he gave a roguish grin. "In that case," his feet sank deep into the cloud, "catch me if you can."

With a loud sproing the cloud bounced back, sending Chris hurtling into the air. Rainbow stared into the sky, shading her eyes with a hoof as Chris dwindled to a tiny dot amongst the blue. Then there was a flash of fire and Chris shot past her in the other direction, whooping joyfully. Rainbow gawked for a second before realising what Chris had said. Her eyes narrowed.

"It's on," she growled and rocketed off in pursuit. She weaved through the houses of Ponyville, following Chris's trail. His laughter carried back to her, inspiring her to greater speeds. Gale force winds were kicked up by their passage, blowing dust over the ponies walking below. Corners were taken at physics defying speeds as Rainbow slowly gained. Then a large custard pie hit her in the face.

Rainbow spluttered and wiped the custard out of her eyes just a little too late to avoid crashing into the tree. Slowly, she peeled away from the trunk and collapsed onto the ground. She groaned, rubbed her head and sat up, to find Chris standing right in front of her.

"Meep-meep," he chirped. Then he was gone in a flash of blue.

"Are you alright Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked as she and Pinkie arrived on the scene.

"I think so. Just a little bruising," Rainbow assured her friend. "Where did that pie come from?"

"He conjured it probably," said Twilight. "Why were you chasing him in the first place though?"

"I think he thought it was some kind of game."

"He can't take anything seriously at the moment," Pinkie said. "It said so on the bag."

Twilight sighed, rubbing at her temples. "This is going to be a long day. Where did he go now?"

* * *

**Where _did_ he go? I don't know. (Well I do, I'm just not telling)**

**I'm not overly happy with the starting part, but I think it was about as good as I could get it.**

**Don't do super sugar kids.**


	37. Chapter 37: Sugar High Havoc

Jack Hammer, the forepony of Ponyville's local construction company, finished checking over the list of materials and sighed. _Maybe this time we'll actually get this stupid high rise built_, he thought. For some reason every time they started construction on it something would happen and destroy whatever they'd managed to get built, be it a malfunctioning crane or a swarm of fun-crazed Pinkie Pies. But maybe this was the time everything'd go right.

"Hey there!"

Jack Hammer jumped and spun around, startled by the loud exclamation from behind him. The local human was giving him a look of polite curiosity while seemingly buzzing with barely contained energy.

"What are you doing?" Chris asked. "Oh, are you building a house? Oh, can I help? I love helping. I'm gonna help!" There was a blur of motion and the build site was consumed by a luminescent blue tornado. The piles of materials picked themselves off the ground and disappeared into the tornado. Then it vanished as Chris zipped out of it, skidded to a halt in front of Jack, spread his arms wide and went, "Ta-dah!"

Jack Hammer stared in shock at the newly erected building behind the human. It looked like a four story house. Or rather, it looked like four storeys from four different houses piled on top of one another. The bottom floor looked like any other Ponyville house, but the second looked like it would be more at home in Canterlot. The third floor looked like something out of steampunk science fiction, with walls of dark wood and brass, and metal pipes snaking through them. Topping it all off was a great dome, made of glass or crystal, with arcs of silver metal criss-crossing it.

"What do you think?" Chris asked. "I couldn't decide style to make it, so I made it all of them! Do you like it?" Jack's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out. "You do love it," Chris cried. "Look you're speechless and everything! Mission accomplished!" The human punched the air, then floated up into the sky before vanishing in a flash of light. For a long moment everypony stared up at where Chris had disappeared. Then one of the workers trotted up to Jack.

"Boss," he said. "Do you have any idea what the hay just happened?"

Jack Hamer sighed and shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. "None at all."

* * *

"This is hopeless," Twilight said. "We haven't seen Chris in nearly an hour. And I still haven't figured out how to catch him when we do find him."

"Oh don't be such a grumpy-slumpy-pants Twilight," said Pinkie, still irrationally happy about everything. "I just know you'll think of something. Right Dash?"

"If you say so Pinkie," said Rainbow from above them. "Besides, if we're lucky Chris will end up on a sugar crash by the time we find him."

"Well I'm sure you'll think of something Twilight," said Chris from behind them.

"Yeah," Twilight sighed, before realising who had just spoken. In a blur of purple she whirled around, horn aglow. The magic fizzled out when she saw that Chris was standing there, quite serenely, eating cupcakes out of a paper bag.

"Hi guys," he said while Twilight sputtered. "I got some cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner. You guys want some? I don't know why but they taste sort of lack-lustre to me now. Maybe it's because of those super-ultra-amazing tasting cupcakes that I had earlier." Chris's smile turned dreamy as he stared into the middle distance. "Mmm… they were so tasty. So delectable. The best cupcakes in the world." He snapped back to reality, looked down at the bag and grinned. "Here, you guys can have these," he said, tossing the bag to Pinkie. "I'm going to go have the rest of those other cupcakes. Toodles!" And in a flash of light he was gone. Rainbow looked at Twilight. Twilight's brain was busy rebooting. Pinkie was busy devouring the cupcakes in the paper bag.

"Wait, WHAT!" Twilight shrieked. "Quickly, we have to get to the library."

"Alright," said Rainbow. "Let's move." As she went to fly off Twilight's magic surrounded her, pulling her to the ground.

"No time," said Twilight, pulling Pinkie over as well. "Hold on!"

Then in a flash of purple light they were gone too.

* * *

Teleporting was one of the weirdest sensations Rainbow Dash had ever experienced. It felt like she was moving over an impossible distance at an impossible speed, all the while remaining completely still. Then she slammed to a halt, stumbling as they reappeared in the middle of Twilight's library, and fought against the wave of combined dizziness and nausea.

"Twilight!" Spike yelled from over by the kitchen door. "Chris is in the kitchen. I tried to stop him but he stuck my feet to the floor." To prove his point he tugged at his legs, his feet refusing to leave contact with the floor. Everypony rushed past him, the door to the kitchen bursting open-

Just as Chris guzzled down the last cupcake.

"So yummy," he mumbled. Twilight's horn flashed and a beam of energy lanced out, spreading out into a bubble that surrounded Chris and lifted him up off the floor. "Hey no fair Twilight," the human cried, his voice sounding muffled.

"What the hay were you thinking Chris?!" Twilight shouted. "It's bad enough that you ate two of them, let alone the whole batch!"

"But they're so tasty," Chris whined. Twilight sighed in frustration, ploughing a hoof into her face.

"I'm going to put you downstairs," said Twilight, making an obvious effort to stay calm. "Then I'm going to write to Celestia and see if she has any advice. That is what is going to happen." With that the furious unicorn turned and stomped out of the kitchen, towing the floating bubble behind her.

* * *

"Right," Twilight sighed as the door to the basement swung shut. "I've locked Chris in the TV room. I've put an anti-teleport field around the room and an anti-spell field on the door so he shouldn't be able to get out. Now, Spike, take a letter."

"Would you mind unsticking me first?" Spike asked.

"Oh, yes, sorry." Twilight's horn glowed for a moment. "There you go Spike."

"Thanks Twilight." Spike quickly grabbed a scroll and a quill off a shelf and stood ready to take Twilight's letter.

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight began. "There's been something of a mishap in Ponyville, and-" Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash from downstairs. Her eye twitched and a couple of hairs in her mane pinged out of place. Nopony dared say anything for fear of setting her off.

"Pinkie," Twilight said sweetly. "Would you mind going and seeing what that was?"

Pinkie nodded, perhaps a tad nervous, and walked downstairs. Twilight stood perfectly still, awaiting Pinkie's report. She didn't have to wait long.

"Chris is gone," the party pony called. "And there's a big hole in the wall."

Twilight nodded slowly, processing that information. Rainbow Dash slowly backed away from the purple alicorn, just in case. Twilight took a deep breath, put a hoof to her chest, then breathed out and pushed it away, imagining her frustration going with it. She was always surprised by how well that trick worked.

"Alright then," Twilight said. "Let's go see what happened."

What had happened was that Twilight's spell on the door must have held. However, there being no spells on the walls, Chris had simply cut a perfect square next to the door and walked out.

"I have to admit," Twilight said, "I didn't see that coming."

"Hey Twilight," Rainbow said from over by Twilight's work table. "I think Chris left a note over here."

Twilight trotted over, levitating the note. _Hey Twilight_, it read. _I'm sorry about the wall, but for some reason the door wouldn't open and I couldn't teleport out. You should probably get that checked out. Also I was thirsty so I drank one of your potions. I hope you don't mind. It was a pretty tasty potion though. It tasted like snozzberrries. Oh I just got a great idea for a prank. I'll catch up with you later. Love, Chris._

Sudden terror clutched at Twilight's chest as she caught sight of the empty vial sitting on the table. Or more specifically, when she caught sight of the potion's label.

**Talent Enhancer Mk. 1**

Rainbow too saw the label and paled noticeably. She swallowed, her throat feeling very dry all of a sudden, and said, "Twilight. This isn't… _that_ talent enhancer, is it?"

"I'm afraid it is Rainbow," Twilight said. "This is really, really bad now. We need to let Celestia now ASAP, before Chris ends up doing something that he can't fix."

* * *

Princess Celestia, Co-ruler of Equestria, strode into the throne room for her day court, her enigmatic smile in place as she prepared to deal with the troubles, needs and petty griped of her little ponies. Already a small queue had formed before the throne, and even as she watched a couple more ponies came through the door. Celestia quickly bit back a sigh. It looked like it was going to be a long day. Everypony in the room was treated to a beaming smile as Celestia walked over to the throne and elegantly sat down.

PRRRRRRRP!

A pin drop could have been heard in the silence that followed. Many of the nobles waiting in line were in shock, and the less prudish ponies had their hooves clamped over their mouths, trying valiantly to contain their laughter. Celestia herself was sitting perfectly still on the throne, wondering what the horse apples had just happened. Had she really just let one rip during day court? It was at least six hundred years since that had last happened (and she hadn't had a burrito since). Hang on, did the throne get extra padding at some point? Everything clicked into place and Celestia sighed, her horn glowing as she pulled the large whoopee cushion out from under her. She was going to have words with Discord later on.

"PFFT-HAHAHAHA!"

Speaking of whom. Celestia looked up and was surprised to see, not Discord, but Chris floating near the ceiling, doubled over with laughter.

"Your – your face," he gasped, clutching his sides. Celestia blinked, not sure how to deal with this development. "Oh hey," Chris said, fighting back his laughter for a moment. "I didn't know there was solar wind forecast for today!" He roared with laughter at his own joke, pulling backflip with tears streaming down his face. For many ponies in the room this was the last straw and they collapsed in gales of laughter.

"Oh, you know what?" Chris asked, now hanging upside down. "That just gave me an idea for another prank. We should catch up later. Cheerio!"

And then he was gone. "What?" Celestia said, very intelligently. She was broken from her stun-lock by a wisp of green smoke floating in through the window and coalescing into a scroll. Out of instinct she took it in her magic and unravelled it, recognising Spike's writing.

_Dear Princess Celestia, _the letter read. _We have a situation here in Ponyville. Through some accidental mix-up Chris managed to eat a large amount of super sugar. _Celestia nodded to herself. From what she knew of super sugar Chris's behaviour was very much in line with what could be expected. _To make matters worse he also drank my mark one talent enhancer potion, the one I wrote to you about a while ago. Naturally this presents a large problem as it will probably magnify Chris's already powerful magic. _Celestia's eye twitched ever so slightly upon reading that. Once her heart had started beating again she read on. _I was hoping that you would have some advice or be able to offer some help on getting him under control. Also if you do see Chris please do your best to contain him and send for me immediately. Always your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle._

Celestia sighed and got up from the throne. "I apologise everypony," she said to the room at large. "It appears that there is a crisis which must be dealt with immediately. Captain I'll need every guard to-"

"TIA!" Luna yelled as she charged through the doors, looking both furious and terrified.

"Is everything alright Luna?" Celestia asked.

"No, dear sister, it is not. Some villainous cur hath turned the moon into cheese!"

"… I'm sorry?"

"The moon! The whole thing! Into cheese! Admittedly it is very good cheese but that is beside the point! We must find the one who is responsible and-" Luna's rant was cut off when Celestia thrust Twilight's letter at her. The Night Princess arched an eyebrow and unfurled the scroll, her eyes widening as she read. "Oh," she said, rolling the scroll back up. "That's… mildly terrifying actually."

Celestia nodded. "We should hurry to Ponyville. We'll be able to coordinate a proper strategy with Twilight better if we aren't relying on letters."

"Indeed sister. I shall make ready the chariots. We shall depart as soon as they are ready."

* * *

**Yes, the talent enhancer is a direct reference to the Double Rainboom fanmade episode.**

**Also, moon cheese. Better than normal cheese because it comes from space.**

**Thank you to all you lot out there who continue to read my story. It really means a lot to me.**


	38. Chapter 38: To Catch A Human

Five of the Bearers of Harmony plus the two princesses sat in stony silence around the table that had been conjured up in the library's main room. Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack were all looking quite confused while Rainbow Dash, Celestia and Luna were all unusually serious. Pinkie Pie was smiling in a way that suggested she wasn't all there. Everypony started when the door to the basement flew open and Twilight strode out. Her horn glowed and a large digital screen formed in front of the table.

"Now that everypony's here we can begin," Twilight said. "This is the current situation. Earlier today Chris accidentally ate a large amount of super sugar, magically enhanced sugar." A short list appeared on the screen. "These are some of the known side effects of consuming excessive super sugar. So far Chris has exhibited pretty much all of them. Yes Luna?"

"Thank you Twilight," said Luna, lowering her hoof. "A though just occurred to me. Is super sugar not a restricted substance? How did Chris manage to obtain some?"

"It was an accident," said Pinkie. "Chris bought some baking supplies from Sugarcube Corner while I was baking with the super sugar. Mr Cake accidentally gave it to him instead of normal sugar. And you're right about it being restricted. I had to go through all sorts of background checks and test to prove that I could bake responsibly."

Everypony took a moment to wonder what counted as irresponsible baking before moving on. "Now I've run the math," said Twilight, "and I'm almost certain that Chris has eaten enough super sugar to make the resulting sugar rush permanent. To make matters worse he also drank my talent enhancer potion, which is making his magic far more powerful.

"However there is an upside to this. If Chris overextends his magic for a long enough period it'll cause the potion to short out, like what happened to Rainbow Dash. If my calculations are correct that short out could be enough to trigger a sugar crash."

"Could?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not a hundred percent certain," Twilight admitted. "But at this point it's the best plan we've got."

"I have a question darling," said Rarity. "Precisely how do you plan on getting Chris to overextend himself?"

Twilight shifted nervously. "Actually I haven't really come up with anything for that yet. That's one of the things we're all here to discuss. Anypony have any ideas."

Nopony answered for a little. Then Luna said, "What if you, my sister and I were to engage him in combat? Facing three alicorns would certainly provide the necessary stress."

"That sounds mighty risky," said Applejack. "Chris could already go toe-to-hoof with Twilight before. Ya'll think you can handle him with that super magic?"

"Um, they wouldn't really need to beat him," Fluttershy pointed out. "They'd only need to keep it up long enough for the potion to short out."

"We'll be fine Applejack," said Celestia. "Luna and I have faced many dangers like this in the past, I have faith in Twilight's abilities." Twilight blushed at that. "However I suppose it would be prudent to have some backup. We'll have a squad of guards to reinforce us when we confront him, just in case."

"OK, but how are we going to find him?" Rainbow asked.

"I've been trying an aura scrying spell, but so far it hasn't been working," said Twilight. "Chris's aura is scattered all up and down Equestria. I can't pin him down."

"Luna and I will aid you," said Celestia. "Let's perform the spell immediately. I'd like to know where Chris is currently."

"Alright then," Twilight said. "Here goes." All three alicorn's closed their eyes and lit their horns. Narrow streams of light spread out, spinning around each other, weaving into a giant, 3D map of Equestria above the table.

"Ooooo…"

"Shush Pinkie."

"Oops, sorry."

"Well there's his aura," said Twilight as splotches of light lit up all over the map, some glowing brighter than others.

"My, he has gone everywhere, hasn't he?" said Celestia. "Everywhere from Appleloosa to Manehattan."

"I think we may be able to narrow it down a little," said Luna, frowning in concentration. Slowly the splotches shrank down, most disappearing all together.

"Almost got him," said Twilight. "I think he's close."

"Yes," said Celestia. "It feels like he's…"

The three alicorns' eyes snapped opened and they said at the same time, "right outside!"

There was a mad scramble for the door and everypony burst into the street, then slipped, tumbled and fell, due to the fact that the road had been covered in a layer of ice.

"Whee!" cried Chris as he skated towards them. "Hey girls! Wanna go ice skating? It's really cool!" He giggled as he slid to stop in front of them. "Hehe, I'm so funny."

Twilight's horn glowed and a wave of heat blasted the area, melting away the ice. Everypony quickly got to their hooves, backing away from the three princesses, who stood with their horns lowered at Chris. Chris seemed supremely unconcerned and raised an amused eyebrow.

"Are you going to try and fight me?" he asked. The alicorn's said nothing, the auras surrounding their horns answer enough. Chris sighed and reached behind his back. "Then I guess I have no choice but to use… these."

For a few seconds there was silence as everypony stared at the objects in Chris's hands.

"Those are maracas," Twilight said eventually. Chris nodded, grinning like a lunatic.

"Yup." With that Chris started shaking them. Then out of nowhere a chorus of trumpets joined in, blaring a lively, up-beat tune while Chris danced with the maracas.

"They call me Cuban Pete," Chris sang.  
"I'm the king of the rhumba beat.  
When I play the maracas I go chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky boom.

Yes sir, I'm Cuban Pete.  
I'm the craze of my native street.  
When I start to dance, everything goes chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky boom."

Many of the ponies of Ponyville had come out into the street and were jiving along to the music. Celestia could feel the compulsion to dance along nagging at her, but she stood firm as Chris kept singing and shaking the maracas.

"The senoritas they sing and how they swing with this rumbero,  
It's very nice, so full of spice.  
And when they're dancing they bring a happy ring the maraquero,  
Singin' a song, all the day long."

The compulsion kept getting stronger and Celestia could feel herself twitching to the beat.

"So if you like the beat, take a lesson from Cuban Pete  
And I'll teach you to chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky-boom."

And then Luna started singing too.

"He's really a modest guy, although he's the hottest guy.  
In Havana, in Havana."

In a flash Chris was standing next to her and they started dancing a tango as Chris picked up the song.

"Si, senorita I know that you would like to chicky-boom-chick.  
"It's very nice, so full of spice.  
"I'll place my hand on your hip, and if you will just give me your hand.  
Then we shall try - just you and I. Aye-aye-aye!

"So if you like the beat, take a lesson from Cuban Pete.  
And I'll teach you chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky-boom!"

The music changed as everypony lined up and started congaing down the street, led by Chris with Luna right behind. And still those infernal maracas kept shaking. Celestia gritted her teeth, putting everything she had into resisting. Her horn glowed, her magic gathered and there was a flash of brightest sunlight. The music stopped with the sound of a needle scratching on a record. The ponies in the conga line blinked and shook their heads, coming out of their magic induced trance. Chris stared in surprise at the smouldering sticks that were all that was left of his maracas. He threw them to the ground, put his hands on his hips and scowled at Celestia.

"That was rude," he said. Then his hands flicked out, a pulse of blue energy racing towards Celestia. With a loud crack it splashed against a purple shield. Twilight grunted from the force of the blow as the ponies of Ponyville scattered. The shield shrank into a small purple ball and hurtled at Chris, who met it with his own shield. In a flash he was gone, reappearing behind them. His head snapped up and a dome of energy bloomed around him as Luna attacked from the sky, her beam of moonlight wrapping around the shield, prying for weaknesses. Twilight and Celestia joined the assault, blasts of intense sunlight and pure magic pounding against the shield. For a moment they seemed to have the upper hoof. Then the shield shone bright and blasted outward, tossing the princesses away. Twilight groaned and rubbed her head, then gasped when she saw Chris. Magic played across his skin and his eyes glowed pure white. Electricity crackled around him in thin arcs. He lifted his hand into the air.

"Diamond dust," he shouted. Magic glowed and swirled, collecting around his hand in a flurry of ice and snow. More and more magic gathered around his hand, a miniature blizzard that raged and spun faster and faster. A shield sprang forth, mottled purple, blue and gold as the princesses fused their magic. Chris levelled his arm at them, the blizzard condensing to a tiny point of light. Then there was a small pfft and the light exploded into a couple of snowflakes. Everypony stared. Chris giggled.

"My magic went kaput," he said with a silly grin. And without the slightest change in expression, he toppled forward and went soundly into the land of nod. For a long moment everypony stood stunned.

"Well that was anticlimactic," Pinkie said.

* * *

"Have I mentioned how incredibly sorry I am?"

"Many times."

"I feel the need to say it again."

Chris was lying in a bed in Ponyville Hospital. While there was nothing seriously wrong with him the doctors had recommended he stay in bed for a few days until he had recovered from the super sugar crash. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were sitting around the bed. Luna and Celestia were off calming the population and attending to anyone or anything that had gotten caught up in Chris's pranks.

"I told you Chris," said Twilight. "You weren't in your right mind. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia have already fixed up a lot of the mess you made." Chris winced and Twilight reviewed her last sentence. "That may have come out wrong," she decided.

"What Twilight is saying is that nopony blames you dear," said Rarity.

Chris sighed. "Well thanks for that. I don't actually remember a lot of what happened too clearly. It's all sort of fuzzy."

Twilight shrugged. "It's probably another side effect of the super sugar."

"Probably," Chris said before yawning massively.

"Come on girls," said Applejack. "We should probably let Chris get some rest."

"I'm not that… tired," Chris protested as they filed out.

He was asleep by the time Twilight switched the lights off.

* * *

_Dear Princess Celestia._

_Today I learned that it's probably not a good idea to leave potentially dangerous baking goods lying around unsupervised. From now on I'll be sure to properly lock them away when I'm not using them. I know this isn't really a lesson about friendship, but I wanted to write to you anyway, cause it's been so long since I wrote to you. I hope you're remembering to have plenty of parties when you're not busy being Princess and everything._

_Your faithful subject,_

_Pinkie Pie._

_P.S. I hope I put enough confetti in this letter._

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow at the huge amount of confetti now raining from the ceiling. Perhaps a tad too much, she thought.

* * *

**If you get the references you get a cookie.**

**So that's pretty much the end for this arc. The next chapter will be Chris dealing with the so of the fallout, so to speak. That may not be for a while though. I'm going to be going on a break for a little. Only a week or two, to make sure that I don't burn myself out. I also probably won't be sticking to a schedule anymore either. Doing chapters weekly turned writing into more of a chore than a hobby, which Is something I didn't like. I do want to keep writing this and I want to enjoy writing it as well. So I'll see you all in a couple of weeks. Ciao!  
**

**Also for those who were wondering Luna and Celestia did manage to get the moon back to normal. After having an outing with plenty of wine and crackers.**


	39. Chapter 39: My House, My Castle

**I'm back!**

**Rally, really sorry about the wait. I know my 'break' was a fair bit longer than I said it would be. But I had work and then Christmas happened and some alcohol may have been involved and there was definitely something to do with Dark Souls.**

**But anyway, enough about my procrastination problem. You have a chapter to read!**

* * *

"Well that didn't quite work."

Twilight looked up from her book as Chris came down the stairs, drying his hair off with a towel. "No luck getting the dye out then?" she asked.

"Sort of," Chris said. "Washing my hair with regular shampoo didn't do anything, not really surprising. The potions Zecora gave me didn't do much except lighten the colour a little. I managed to get some results with my magic, but the most I managed was to move the colour around. The end result being this." Chris removed the towel and shook his hair out. For the most part his hair was back to its normal dirty blonde colour. His fringe however, now sported several streaks of pale rose pink.

"Well it's definitely not as eye watering as before," Twilight said. "It's pretty good considering that the colour was never meant to come out in the first place."

"That's what I thought as well. Whatever spells are in the dye they are really good. I used up all my magic just getting this far."

Twilight opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knocking on the door. "Were you expecting anyone?" Chris asked. Twilight shook her head.

"Maybe it's somepony who actually wants to borrow a book for once," she said. However she was proved to be incorrect upon opening the door and finding Mayor Ivory Scroll standing there with another pony Twilight didn't recognise.

"Good morning Twilight," said the Mayor. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine thank you Mayor. How can I help you?"

"Actually Twilight I was hoping we would be able to see Chris. You see, this is Jack Hammer, the forepony of our local construction crew. We wished to see him regarding the building he constructed earlier this week."

"Oh, of course," said Twilight. "Come on in."

"It hasn't fallen down has it?" Chris asked as the two ponies entered the library. "I would hate for someone to get hurt if it did."

"No it hasn't collapsed," said Jack Hammer. "Quite the opposite in fact. My crew have checked it against every building standard and code there is, and it meets every one of them."

"That's good. So what are you planning on doing with it?" Chris asked.

"Actually," Ivory Scroll said with a smile. "We were planning on giving it to you."

For a few seconds Chris couldn't think of anything to say. "Are you serious?" he asked eventually. "You're giving it to me, just like that?"

"Indeed," said Ivory scroll. "After all, you did build it all by yourself."

"Yeah but what about the construction crew's materials I used? Shouldn't I pay for them?"

"You didn't actually use any of our materials," Jack Hammer said. "We found all of our stuff in a pile around the back. I have no idea where all of the materials you used in the building came from, but none of it was ours."

"Okay then," Chris said. "I still feel like I should pay for it though. I don't feel right just being given a free house."

Ivory sighed. "Well if you insist I suppose I could charge for the area of land it's built on."

"That would help to settle my conscience."

"Very well then. If I recall correctly that particular piece of land was valued at about five hundred bits."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "That seems quite cheap," he noted. Ivory shrugged.

"That land has been losing value for years. The construction crew have come to believe it's cursed because it's impossible to build anything on. Every time they try something goes disastrously wrong. This was actually going to be the last attempt to build something there."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"It was becoming too expensive for the town to keep commissioning buildings on an area where the construction crew didn't want to work. Plus there was the removal of the wreckage, complaints from the town, damages to cover – well you get the idea. Anyway, I have all the necessary paperwork here with me. Just fill in these forms and the building will be legally yours."

"Alright then. Spike could you please grab me a quill?"

"Here you go," the little dragon said.

"Thanks. Now where do I sign?"

"Sign there. And there. Date there. Initials there. Now you keep that copy and we're done." Ivory carefully put the paperwork back into her saddlebags. "I'll be sending a bill along in a few days for the land. Enjoy your new house."

"So you don't remember anything about building that place?" Jack Hammer asked as the Mayor left. Chris shook his head.

"I have a vague idea of what the outside looks like, but I don't remember anything about the inside. Why?"

Jack Hammer grinned. "I don't want to give anything away. But I will say that it is one nice place you built."

Chris raised an eyebrow as the construction pony left. He looked down at the address on the paper the Mayor had left him.

"Well then," he said to Twilight and Spike. "Let's go see my new house, shall we?"

* * *

"Goodness," said Fluttershy.

"Hmm… quite a bold design. Though maybe a bit patchwork" critiqued Rarity.

"That certainly is somethin'," said Applejack.

"It's not the craziest building I've ever seen," said Rainbow Dash. "But it's up there."

"We'll need a house warming party as soon as possible," Pinkie muttered as she scribbled in a little notebook.

"Wow," Twilight said. "You made all that yourself?"

"Yup," Chris said. "And I have no idea how."

On the way over Chris, Twilight and Spike had been joined by their other friends, all of whom wanted to get a look at the place Chris had built for himself.

"Shall we head inside?" Chris asked. Everypony nodded, all looking forward to seeing the inside.

"After you," Twilight said. Chris grinned and walked up to the door. The hinges made not a sound as it was pushed open and Chris stepped through into the lounge. It had a very homely feel, with a fireplace set in the far wall and plenty of light streaming in through the large window next to the door. The light cream colour of the walls gave everything a warm, relaxed air. Several doors led out of the room, one to the left, two to the right and a pair of double doors stood beside the fireplace.

"No chairs though," Chris said to himself. The others filed in behind him, making general noises of appreciation.

"Uh, Chris?" said Applejack. "That fireplace don't seem to have a chimney."

"Huh," Chris said, walking over to the fireplace in question. "That's odd." Chris hunkered down, reaching up with one hand to steady himself against the mantel. A tingle ran though his fingers as two sets of his own magic interacted – inside himself and inside the fireplace.

"Oh I get it," Chris said. "The fireplace is enchanted with a disappearing spell, aimed specifically at smoke. That's quite clever."

"Fancy," said Applejack. "I s'pose with a four storey house a chimney would be a bit impractical."

"Probably," Chris agreed.

"I believe I have found the kitchen Chris," Rarity called from the door on the left. Chris poked his head in. Nothing extraordinary looking in here. Just a run of the mill combined kitchen and dining room.

"Looks like the bedroom is over here," Rainbow called from one of the doors on the right.

"Bathroom's right here," said Pinkie from the other one.

"Hey Chris. I think these doors are stuck or something," said Twilight. She was standing next to the double doors by the fire, her magic wrapped around the handles. Chris tilted his head with a frown.

"Let me have a go?" he said. He gave the handles a tug, but the doors didn't even rattle. Chris put his hands on his hips and hmmed to himself. Then he noticed a small strip of metal on the wall just beside the doors. On it was a single metal button. Chris considered it for a moment, a sneaking suspicion forming.

"I didn't," he muttered, reaching out and pushing the button. There was a quiet ding and the doors opened. Behind them a metal grill clattered open and Chris raised an eyebrow at the elevator he had apparently decided to put in his house. "Oh, I did," he said.

"You put an elevator in your house?" asked Twilight, mirroring Chris's thoughts. Chris shrugged.

"Stairs are hard. No one likes stairs. Who wants to see the next floor?"

"Uh, will we all fit in there?" asked Rainbow.

"We may have to squeeze, but we should all fit," said Chris.

Surprisingly there was no squeezing involved. Somehow the elevator managed to fit everypony comfortably, despite looking too small from the outside. Chris thought about this for a second and came to a rather simple realisation. "Bigger on the inside enchantment," he said the group at large. Instead of buttons there was a lever next to the door, with numbers one to four beside it. Chris took hold of the lever and slid it up to number two. With a quiet clanking the grate slid closed and the doors outside shut. Warm yellow light came from the bulb set in the roof of the elevator. Then, without a sound, it began moving upwards.

"Don't elevators usually make noise?" asked Rarity.

"Magic," Chris said. Which explained everything really.

The elevator stopped moving and there was a small ding. The grate slid open and the door beyond them swung outwards. The group gave a collective gasp as they walk into what was clearly the library. The Canterlot style on the outside continued in here, all white marble and gold decorations. A modest gold chandelier hung from the ceiling, which was covered in a swirling blue, purple and white pattern. Three of the walls were covered in bookshelves stretching up to the ceiling, with the fourth being taken up by a long, semi-circular window. A pair of glass doors set into the window led out onto a small balcony.

"How magnificent," Rarity cooed.

"Can you imagine what it'll look like once all the bookshelves are filled?" said Twilight with a dreamy look.

"That might take a while," said Spike. "There's a lot of space on those shelves."

There was a quiet thunk from behind them. Spike looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. "Uh, Chris?" he said. "Where did the door go?"

Chris frowned and looked back. Where the door had been was now just more bookshelf. Strangely there was a single book sitting on one of the shelves. It was small and had a metal plaque on its spine in place of a name.

"Oh for goodness sake," Chris muttered. "Really?"

"What is it?" Applejack asked. Chris didn't answer, but sighed and walked over to the shelf. He gave the book a tug and it slid out a short way before stopping. A gentle thud was heard from inside the bookshelf, then a section of it swung out.

"I put a hidden door in the library," Chris said as the elevator grate opened. "I can't even think of words to describe how incredibly lame that is."

* * *

Everyone felt somehow underwhelmed upon reaching the third floor. Perhaps it was due to the comparative grandeur of the floor below them. But no one quite knew what to say as they stepped out into the awfully barren looking room. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of some dark, chocolaty brown wood. A large circular window took up most of the wall across from the elevator. No one had much idea what to make of it. Then Fluttershy peered a bit closer at the walls.

"Um, Chris?" she asked in her quiet way. "I think these walls are a bit scratched up."

"Really?" Chris asked, peering closer. The scratch was shallow and hard to make out, given the dark colour of the wood.

"There are scratches over here too," Pinkie said from over by the window.

"On the floor as well," said Spike.

"They're even on the ceiling," said Rainbow Dash.

"They're everywhere," said Rarity.

"Hang on," Chris said, leaning even closer to the wall. "That looks a bit familiar." He tilted his head to the left. Then to the right. Then finally he rolled onto his back and looked at it upside down. "Ah, now it makes sense," he said with a smile.

"What does?" Applejack asked.

"Why those scratches are everywhere. They're etchings."

Everypony looked at him in confusion, except for Twilight, whose eyes widened in comprehension.

"What are etchings?" asked Rainbow.

"They're a different form of enchanting," Twilight said.

"More or less," Chris said. "You see enchanting has become something of a hobby for me. I've become pretty good with sigils and glyphs. Most enchanting is done by casting those sorts of glyphs in magical energy, then imprinting that energy into the object."

"But etching is different," said Twilight. "Instead of imprinting the object with magic the glyphs are physically included in the design, usually through engraving."

"The downside of that is that it's more risky. If one of the glyphs gets broken then the whole enchantment is wrecked. The upside, though, is that the enchantment is a lot more stable. The spell matrices are less likely to mix if you have multiple enchantments and they're also harder to tamper with. Plus using physical glyphs and sigils makes it easier to keep track of all your enchantments."

"Enchantments matrices can mix?" Twilight asked.

"Sometimes, if the matrices aren't stable or you have a large amount of enchantments on one item."

"What happens then?"

"It depends. Sometimes the enchantments just fail, sometimes they cause the object to combust. Very rarely they can set up a magical resonance pattern and become even stronger."

"Oh I've studied magical resonance patterns. They're so fascinating."

"Oh Celestia," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You two are such eggheads."

"Hey," said Chris. "The term is 'intellectual'."

"So anyway," Applejack said, hiding a grin. "What do all these etching doo-hickies do?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Chris admitted. "I'll have to have a better look at the sigils later on. But I think this is a workroom of sorts." Chris thought for a moment, then brought his hands up and clapped twice. At once all the glyphs light up, shining with a pale blue light. Many of them were outlined with shapes, circles, triangles, squares and pentagons. A fair number simply sat by themselves. Then the light from the central sigils on the floor rose off the ground and coalesced, forming a wire-frame cube in mid-air. "Definitely a workroom," Chris said, carefully scanning the glyphs on the walls.

"Oooo," went Pinkie Pie as she prodded at the cube. It twitched and spun in response to her poking hoof. Then she bent in and licked it. Chris raised an eyebrow as she frowned, shrugged and bounced away from the cube.

"Well anyway," he said. "Shall we move on?"

* * *

"Oh you are beautiful," Chris said softly.

"I was thinking the same thing," said Spike. Drool dripped from the corners of his mouth as he stared up at the dome of pure crystal above them. It was completely flawless and slightly tinted purple. Three arches made of brass stretched over them and in the middle of each was a ring with a lens of sorts in it. Floating in the air was a tall, pointed purple crystal, the size of a regular pony at least. Directly underneath the crystal in the centre of the room was a shallow bowl-like depression and, floating above it, a small segmented orb, made of more brass. More glyphs and sigils covered the arches, the orb and the floor.

"Don't you dare try eating it Spike," Chris said.

"What's all this for?" Twilight asked.

"It's a Crystal Forge," Chris said.

"And… what's a Crystal Forge?"

"It's something the Crystal Ponies invented before Sombra took over the Empire. When we were up there for the princess summit I had a look around the city-"

"When did you have time for that?" Twilight asked. She knew that she'd hardly gotten any free time while they were there, what with her crown being stolen and everything.

"We all had plenty of free time after we got back from the other world. Remember, you were the only one actually involved in the discussions."

"Oh yeah."

"Anyway, one of the places I visited was the observatory. They had one of these there and I was curious about it. I asked around and one of the ponies who work at the observatory agreed to show me how it worked. Then they also showed me all the mechanics for it as well. Although." Chris tilted his head slightly, looking like he was thinking. "The one in the Crystal Empire looked a bit different. There were a lot more levers and dials all over the place." Curious, he took a step towards the floating orb. Light flared in the sigils on the floor and a large holographic screen shimmered into existence. Upon it was what Twilight recognised as a chart of the night sky. Each star was picked out as a small white dot. A larger white dot overlaying some of the others seemed to represent the sun.

"Oh I see now," said Chris. "I automated a lot of the processes. This screen shows the stars and sun as they are right now."

"Right. So what does all this actually do?" Rainbow asked.

"I'll show you," Chris said with a grin. He stepped forward and tapped the sun three times. A loud clanking sound could be heard within the walls as the arches above them began to move, all three of the lenses overlapping, focusing on the sun. Glyphs around the lenses lit up and a beam of light sprang forth, firing into the floating crystal. Arcs of white lightning flickered over the surface of the crystal as it began to spin faster and faster. Then the orb opened, its segments separating. The pieces spun and circled each other, the glyphs pulsing with power. A shaft of light shot down from the crystal, right into empty space at the heart of the pieces. They spun and circled faster in response as the light started to expand outward. Then it collapsed inward and crystallised. The crystal slowly grew larger as more light was poured into it. Then the stream of light cut off and the spinning of the crystal above them began to slow. The pieces spread outwards, allowing the crystal to float forward and drop into Chris's waiting hand.

"And there you go," Chris said.

"What in tarnation was that all about?" asked Applejack.

"That's what a Crystal Forge does," Chris said as the orb closed back up. "It takes light from the sun or stars, catalyses it with magic, then condenses and crystallises it. The end result is something like this." He held up the crystal. It was bright, golden yellow, about the size of his palm. The very centre glowed with a gentle, warm orange light. "Each star creates a different crystal, with different colours, shapes, sizes and magical effects. Sun crystals, predictably, give off light and warmth, and become stronger the darker it is."

"Amazing," said Twilight, gazing up at the dome.

"Beautiful," said Rarity, eyeing the crystal in Chris's hand lovingly.

"Delicious," Spike drooled, also staring at the crystal.

"Oh, oh!" went Pinkie, looking like she'd just had the best idea ever. "Can you make one that creates parties?"

"Or what about one that can make plants grow quicker?" Applejack asked.

"Or one that could make me fly even faster?"

Chris sighed as everypony started asking questions. But inside he felt warm and content. _I have a place of my own now_, he thought happily. _A proper home._

* * *

**Yep so Chris will no longer be staying in the library. Also I called the Mayor Ivory Scroll becasue I think it's a better name than Mayor Mare. The idea is not really my own, I got it from Saphroneth's MLP Loops fanfic.**

**The Crystal Forge was sort of inspired by the Dwemer sky domes of Skyrim.**

**The next chapter will be out much quicker I swear.**

**Probably.**


	40. Chapter 40: Mini-Stories Pack 2

**Here we are, another mini-stories pack. These stories are all slightly less mini than the last ones, but still not big enough for a chapter of their own. Once again a couple will be important later on while the majority of them are just drabbles I wanted to get out of my head. Also I noticed that I'd neglected the CMC a little, so now that they have two new members I figured I should show them some love. Enjoy.**

* * *

**40.1**

Chris was sitting on the kitchen bench, drinking a coffee when there was a knock on the door.

"Coming," Chris called, putting down the cup and hopping off the bench. He left the kitchen and opened the front door. There was a loud bang and a burst of confetti showered him.

"PARTY!"

"Hello Pinkie Pie," Chris said. "What are you doing?"

"It's your housewarming party silly," the unstoppable force of parties in the body of a pony said. "We brought you presents and a cake and confetti and streamers and I brought a trumpet." Pinkie held up said instrument and blew a loud note.

"Ok. Why did you bring a trumpet?"

"In case of trumpet emergencies."

Chris processed this for a moment. Then he mentally shrugged and moved on, deciding that he didn't really want to know what counted as a trumpet emergency. Outside his door was Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike and the Doctor, each bearing a gift.

"Surprise," they cried as Chris walked out.

"Thanks guys," Chris said. "You didn't really have to though."

"Maybe not dear," said Rarity. "But we wanted to all the same."

"Enough talk," Pinkie said, wearing her 'serious' face. "Time to open presents."

Even after all this time Chris admitted that his friends would always continue to surprise him. Every gift they gave him was in some way exactly what he needed, even if he hadn't thought of it until that moment. Rainbow Dash gave him a box containing a high quality cloud bed, plus blankets.

"This'll give you the best night's sleep you've ever had," the Pegasus declared. "I remembered you said that you'd like one a while ago."

Twilight, to the surprise of no one, gave Chris a crate filled with books. Many of the books were copies of rare tomes from the Ponyville library and there were even some the Twilight had ordered in from Canterlot. Applejack came forward next, presenting him with a set of very solid pots and pans. Rarity gave him a comfortable, elegant chair and a matching side table.

"For your library dear," she explained. "A room that magnificent needs some suitable furniture."

The Doctor was next, and gave Chris a tall grandfather clock, complete with gold trim. Fluttershy gave him a large bundle of soft blankets and a large squishy pillow. Finally, Spike handed over a small box, topped with a bow. Chris opened it up and was surprised to find a small sapphire, about the size of his thumb, resting inside.

"It was the last gem I had," Spike explained, looking nervous. "And I didn't know what else to get you. I know it's not really anything for your house but-." Chris interrupted by pulling Spike into a hug.

"It's great Spike," he said. "I really appreciate it. Come on, all of you. Group hug."

Everypony smiled and joined the hug. Then, as one, they lost their balance and collapsed in a tangle of limbs and squeals.

"Cake time!" Pinkie shouted from underneath Twilight.

* * *

**40.2**

"You know, it's weird," Diamond Tiara began, "but before now I never really noticed how much pocket money I get."

"Ya know you don't have to keep on buyin' us ice creams an' milkshakes if it's getting' expensive," said Applebloom.

"But for the record we're totally ok if you keep doing it," Scootaloo said, earning a nudge from Applebloom. Diamond Tiara laughed.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not about to go broke. Beside I like buying you guys treats. It feels better than just buying lots of stuff for myself."

"I second that," said Silver Spoon. "Buying stuff for you guys just feels… good."

"Rarity says that being generous is its own reward," Sweetie Belle said. "I guess that's sort of what she meant."

"I suppose so," said Diamond. For a while nopony said anything, wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"I feel like going bowling," said Silver Spoon.

"Sounds good to me."

"Ah'm in."

"Me too."

"Just make sure you keep your ball in the lane this time Scootaloo."

"It was one time!"

* * *

**40.3**

"There you are Chris," said Rarity. "Try that on and see how it fits."

Chris took the backpack from her telekinetic grip and slipped his arms through the straps, shrugging them into a comfortable position.

"I must admit," Rarity said as Chris adjusted he straps. "I don't see why you need a new bag. Is the other one I made you broken?"

"No that one's fine. It's more of a case of function really. Flying with the satchel is really awkward because it tends to dangle around. Also backpacks are generally better for your shoulders and back than satchels. I like the colour choice by the way."

"Oh thank you darling. I am quite fond of that shade of blue. I hope it's not too small though."

"Size is kind of irrelevant. I can make it bigger on the inside." Chris shivered as a chill ran up his spine. "That was weird."

"What is it?" asked Rarity.

"It's this feeling I get sometimes when I say something, like I'm breaking some sort of universal rule."

**Meanwhile**

Pinkie Pie's ear twitched and she looked up from her colouring book.

"Somewhere," she said, "someone is talking about the fourth wall. And making pop culture references."

**Back in the Boutique**

"Anyway," Chris said, shaking off the odd feeling. "How much do I owe you…?"

* * *

**40.4**

"Have I said that this is a really bad idea?" Diamond asked.

"I think about seven times," Sweetie replied.

"Come on," said Applebloom, who was putting on a helmet. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Diamond raised an eyebrow. "We're abseiling down a cliff. Hospital seems like a likely option."

"It's only a small cliff," said Scootaloo. Diamond did not look impressed.

"Come on Diamond," said Silver Spoon, who was also wearing a helmet. "All five of us checked the rope, the knots and the tree it was tied to. It'll be fine."

Diamond wavered for a moment then sighed and picked up her helmet. "Celestia save us," she muttered as she buckled it up.

* * *

**40.5**

"So how did you two get your cutie marks?"

Diamond Tiara looked over at Scootaloo with her eyebrows raised in a question. The five Crusaders were lounging around the clubhouse, Diamond and Sweetie playing tic-tac-toe, Silver reading a book and Applebloom was watering the pot plant.

"What do you mean?" asked Diamond.

"You and Silver Spoon. How did you two get your cutie marks?" Scootaloo asked again. "We've sorta started asking everypony we know how they got their cutie marks."

"The idea was to get ideas on stuff to try out for our cutie marks," Applebloom explained. "They've all been duds though. Ah can't believe Ah didn' think a' this earlier."

"Yeah," said Sweetie Belle. "I'd like to know how Silver got a spoon cutie mark."

Diamond Tiara's hooves clapped over her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to contain her laughter, while Silver Spoon face-hoofed.

"Every time," the grey filly sighed. "Why does everypony think it's a spoon?"

"Well it looks like a spoon," Applebloom said. "And… yer name's Silver Spoon so…"

This was too much for Diamond, who broke down into a fit of giggles. Silver gave her a very flat look.

"I don't see why you find it so funny," she said.

"Your – snrk – your reaction mostly," Diamond managed.

"So… it's not a spoon?" Sweetie asked.

"No it isn't. It's actually a weapon called a full moon spear."

"That doesn't look like any spear I've ever seen," said Scootaloo, peering closer at Silver's cutie mark. Silver nodded, conceding the point.

"That's because it's not a very commonly used weapon. I know that the royal guard definitely doesn't use them."

"Why not?"

"Because they take a lot of training and practice to be able to use properly. And I suppose they do sort of look a little like giant spoons. They're pretty big, about twice the length of a pony. The blade is bigger than most spears, a lot thicker and wider with less of a point. It's got a counter-weight on the other end to balance out the weight of the blade."

"Ok, I can sorta see that," Applebloom said. "How'd ya end up with one a' them for a cutie mark?"

"It was a few years ago, the first time my mother took me along to one of her martial arts classes. Before the lessons started some of the masters did a demonstration with some of the weapons. One of them was a full moon spear. And when I saw them fight with it something just… connected. It looked so incredible the way they fought with it. Once everypony was distracted with the lessons I wandered off and managed to find my way to the weapon training room. I pulled one of the full moon spears of the shelf and tried to copy some of the moves I'd seen the masters do. And they all worked. I'm not saying I was an instant master, not even close. But the spear just felt… natural in my hooves. Like it was an extension of my own body. Then after about two minutes I realised that one of the masters had been watching me the whole time. I thought I was in for the punishment of a lifetime, but instead he started congratulating me. He said that not many ponies had talent like I had with the full moon spear. I asked him what he meant and he just pointed at my flank. And I found that this had appeared," Silver looked back at her cutie mark. "That was when I started training in martial arts. My main talent might be with the spear, but I have to work up to that first."

"Wow," Scootaloo said. "I thought you were awesome before, but that's even awesomer!"

"More awesome," Sweetie corrected.

"Dictionary."

"Don't start that again," Diamond said.

"So what does yours mean Diamond?" asked Applebloom.

Diamond thought for a moment. "You know… I'm not too sure anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Sweetie.

"Well I originally thought it meant something along the lines of superiority. You know, being better than anypony else. But considering I now know that's absolute rubbish…"

"Well why don't ya tell us how ya got it and we'll see if we can figure it out together," Applebloom said.

"Ok. Well you know it was only a year or so ago over the summer holidays. I was staying at this summer program for rich kids in Manehatten because daddy had to go to a lot of meetings all over Equestria. Looking back it was basically a dozen budding egotists staying in the same building, but anyway. Every day the ponies in charge would organise different activities around the city, like rock climbing or swimming or sight-seeing. One of the activities we did was an obstacle course. We were split into three teams and whoever got the fastest time through the course won. I was in the last group to go. The first group was one of the more popular ponies in the program and their entourage so they got through with very little problems. The second was a bit less keen on working together but they still got all the way through. The group I was in… well dysfunctional is a good word. We got through the first few obstacles mostly by luck and then we were arguing too much to get any further. It looked like we were going to come in last for sure. And I just couldn't handle the idea of losing like that. So I started shouting louder than anypony else, trying to organise them into some form of group. I can't even really remember what I said, but somehow we got past the next obstacle. And they all started listening to me even more. I tried to use their strengths to our advantage, and it worked. We came out with the quickest time of the lot. Then one of my team mates pointed out my cutie mark. Somehow I took it to mean that I was meant to be better than everypony else. And well… that's pretty much it."

For a few moments no one said anything as the other Crusaders thought.

"Well it seems ta me," said Applebloom with a thoughtful look, "that yer talent might actually be bein' a leader."

"Really?"

"Yeah, think about it. Ya managed to get a bunch a' arguing foals to cooperate long enough to get through an obstacle course. That's gotta take some serious leadership skills. Also when you were editor-in-chief of the Foal Free Press you knew exactly how to get more ponies readin' the paper."

"Even if it was a really terrible way," said Diamond.

"Yeah and don't forget that she could get pretty much the whole school to laugh at us with a single sentence," said Scootaloo.

"You're really not making me feel better," Diamond said with a frown. "And those don't sound like examples of leadership at all."

"Well maybe you just haven't had a chance to really show what you can do," Sweetie suggested.

"Well Ah know what Ah wanna do today!" Applebloom declared. "Ah gonna help Diamond Tiara rediscover her talent!"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TALENT REDISCOVERERS! YAY!"

Diamond face-hoofed. "This will not end well," she muttered.

* * *

**40.6**

Everything was quiet at the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse. Until there was a loud bang and a large amount of black smoke poured out of the windows.

"Ok," Applebloom coughed, waving her hooves to clear the smoke. "That didn't work."

Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle's heads popped up from behind the makeshift bunker in the corner.

"I told you Cutie Mark Crusaders firework makers was a bad idea," Sweetie said as the smoke cleared.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Scootaloo. "This is only a minor setback."

"Exactly," said Silver Spoon. "The next one will be much better."

"Why are we the only sensible ones," Diamond asked Sweetie. Sweetie simply shrugged and ducked back behind the bunker as the others started the construction of their next firework.

* * *

**40.7**

Chris was just passing Carousel Boutique when a loud, frustrated screamed came from inside. Chris stopped and stared up at the second floor window in curiosity. Then, feeling cautious, he walked up and knocked on the front door.

"Coming," Sweetie Belle's voice called. "Oh, hi Chris."

"Hey Sweetie Belle," Chris said, giving the filly a smile. "Is everything okay? I heard a scream from outside and-." Chris was interrupted by another scream, this time followed by a stream of expletives. Chris raised an eyebrow. "Is Rarity feeling alright?" he asked.

"Not really. She's having what I like to call a 'drama episode'. Although," Sweetie paused as another series of curses floated down the stairs, "I think she may be approaching full on freak out mode."

"Do you mind if I go talk to her? I may be able to help. Hopefully."

"Sure. Just… try not to aggravate her."

* * *

"Uh… Rarity?" Chris said, eyeing the mess of Rarity's workroom with apprehension. "Is everything… alright?"

The white unicorn grunted, her back to him. A large swath of fabric was rolled out on her table and notebook and quill were levitating in front of her.

"It's just that I heard you screaming before."

Another grunt.

"… Rarity are you even listening to me?"

"Yes yes, that's fine Sweetie."

Chris raised an eyebrow. He let out a sigh and stepped up behind the clearly distracted unicorn.

"RARITY!"

"AHH! What? Who? Oh, Chris. I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were here."

"I realised." Chris winced. "Damn, you look terrible." She really did; her mane was limp and straggly, there were black bags under her eyes, and one of her eyes was twitching occasionally.

"Oh I know." Rarity wailed. "But I've been too distracted to remember to shower or to get much sleep."

"Distracted by what?"

"This," Rarity swept her hoof at the fabric on her desk. It was a deep orange-red and glittered ever so slightly in the light. "It's a new type of fabric that is simply to die for, very exclusive. It's called dragon silk. Oh don't worry," she said quickly, noticing Chris's look, "it doesn't come from an actual dragon. It's only called that because of how strong it is. Which is actually the crux of my problem. The fabric is almost completely unworkable. I've tried everything I can think of, I even ordered in a pair of diamond bladed scissors to see if they'd be able to do the job. It didn't work."

"Yes well, that would explain why they're lodged in a wall," Chris said. Rarity went a little red.

"My frustrations may have gotten to me a little bit," she muttered. Then she sighed. "I'm at my wits end, I really am. And I had such a great vision for it. They would have been some of the most beautiful ball gowns ever."

"I'm sure they would have. But why would someone create a material that's impossible to make anything out of?"

Rarity shook her head. "I said _almost_ completely unworkable. There are some unicorns out there who are capable of working with it. But they won't tell anypony else how it's done and they charge a small fortune for the service. The cloth alone was fairly expensive so I'd really rather not spend more. Also dresses aren't really the intended purpose for dragon silk. It was originally invented as a more lightweight armour for high ranking royal guards."

"I see. Well if you'd like I can have a look at it, see what I can do."

Rarity's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, call it returning the favour."

"What favour?"

"I don't know," Chris said with a shrug. "Pick one. Just make sure you have a shower and get some rest. You need it."

Rarity giggled, visibly relaxing. "Alright then. I admit I'll be glad to get some sleep."

"If I do manage to figure something out, what kind of tools would you need?"

"Oh, well I'd need some scissors, plenty of pins and needles, and some needles for my sewing machine as well."

"Sure thing. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"Now," Chris said, stepping into his workroom. "Let's see what we're working."

The roll of dragon silk levitated into the centre of the room. Glyphs lit up on the floor, lines of blue light passing over the surface of the fabric. A small screen of blue light appeared next to it, text scrolling across it.

"Interesting," Chris said, eyes flickering over the text. "That's quite clever… Hmm… And that's why it's so strong… And the combined effect…"

* * *

"I know that book was somewhere over here," Chris said, looking over the shelves of his library. "It was somewhere – oh there it is." A thick tome was surrounded by his aura and floated off the shelf. "Now where was it, where was it? Aha. Now, what will I need? Hmm…"

* * *

The great arches of the Crystal Forge moved above Chris as he tapped away on the interface.

"Not quite the effect I'm looking for," Chris said. "What about… those ones? Nope that ain't gonna work. Too… explosive. Maybe…"

* * *

"This could work," Chris said. "Now I just need to get some steel. To the hardware store!" Chris had to resist summoning a fanfare of trumpets as he grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

* * *

The next morning saw Chris knocking on the door of the Boutique, looking very pleased with himself. This time the door was opened by Rarity, who was looking much fresher and more awake than the day before.

"Good morning darling," she said with a cheery smile.

"Morning Rarity. Feeling better?" Chris asked as he stepped inside.

"Oh much. A bath and a good night's sleep does wonders. But how have you been? Did you manage to come up with a solution?"

Chris's grin widened. "Yes. Yes I did. Let's go up to your workroom and I'll explain."

* * *

"Now the problem you've been having is that the fabric is just too strong to cut through, right?" Chris asked. Rarity nodded, eyeing the silk rolled out on the table. "The reason it's so strong is because of the unbreaking enchantment on it. Now initially I thought that the enchantment was laid over the fabric as a whole, but it turns out it was actually laid onto each of the threads before they were woven together. So instead of trying to cut through just one enchantment, you're trying to break through several dozen with every cut."

"Which is why even the diamond bladed scissors wouldn't go through it," said Rarity.

"Exactly. It wouldn't matter how sharp or hard the scissors were, there's no way they'd be able to overcome so many layers of enchantment. In fact I suspect this cloth would be able to survive most things this world could throw at it. So instead of brute forcing my way past the unbreaking enchantment, I simply found a way around it."

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"I used something called a disruption enchantment. It was specifically designed to break through other enchanted items by destabilising or supressing the enchantments. The main drawback is that with prolonged exposure the enchantment will also start to destabilise the matter around it, often including the object it's placed on, making things just fall apart. Stronger, denser materials aren't affected by it though."

"I see," said Rarity. "I hope that wasn't too inconvenient for you." She knew that stronger metals often costed more.

"Not really. I only had to create an entirely new metal to work with." Chris noticed the way Rarity's eyes widened slightly and laughed. "No sarcasm in there," he said. "It really wasn't that difficult. And technically it's not a new metal, it's just steel with some extras thrown in. See, I knew that putting an enchantment on whatever metal I used wouldn't work because-."

"The disruption enchantment would make it break down?"

"Exactly. So instead I used magic crystals, ground into dust and mixed with molten steel. The crystal I used generates a small magic field around it that makes things completely indestructible. The end result is this." Chris took a wooden box from his bag and opened it. Inside was a pair of scissors and a dozen needles. Each of them glowed ever so slightly. "The disruption enchantment is only on the blades of the scissors and the points of the needles, so they're safe to touch."

"They're beautiful," said Rarity. "Why are they glowing?"

"Side effect from the crystals. I call the metal shimmersteel because of it."

"Have you tested them out?"

Chris grinned again and reached into his pocket, pulling out several neat squares of dragon silk. "Yep. Works perfectly."

Rarity matched Chris's grin with one of her own. "Oh thank you so much Chris. This is perfect! I shall make some of the most stunning dresses Equestria has ever known! And in the process I'll get to show those secretive, stuck-up snobs that they aren't the only ones who can work with dragon silk."

Chris laughed. "A win-win situation if ever there was one."

* * *

**40.8**

"So does this happen often?" Diamond asked.

"Does what happen often?" Applebloom asked back.

"The tree sap?"

"Oh yeah. A lot."

"Great."

* * *

**40.9**

Chris could barely contain his excitement as he headed for the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Canterlot Royal Library. He'd managed to tag along on one of Twilight's trips into Canterlot to meet with the Princesses. Twilight hadn't asked why, but she'd let him come along all the same. There had been a slight knowing look in Celestia's eye as he'd walked off to go study. It wasn't a lie. He really was going to study. But he didn't think Twilight would approve of him trying spells that were too high level.

Chris walked quickly down a row of shelves, turned the corner, marched into the Starswirl Wing and lurched to a halt. All he could manage was to stare as _eleven other Chris-es _looked up from their books and grinned.

"Hi," they all said together.

For a long time nothing came out of Chris's mouth. Then, very intelligently, he said, "Whu?"

"Don't freak out," another Chris said. "We're just future versions of you."

Somehow, hearing himself telling him to not freak out helped Chris to not freak out. "But… what?" he said.

"Look, sit down," said the other Chris, indicating a chair in the corner. "You're going to sit there for about fifteen minutes before you start forming logical thoughts again, then another ten before you feel up to talking."

"H-how do you know that?"

The other Chris shrugged. "Because that's how it worked for me in the past."

* * *

About twenty five minutes later Chris finally got off the chair and, after taking a deep breath, said, "So you're all me. From the future."

"Yep," came the simultaneous response.

"Which means I travel back in time to this point about ten times."

"Yep."

"… Why?"

Every other Chris shrugged. "To get more study time."

"There's a lot of books on time travel in here."

"And I couldn't read them all in the hour I had."

"So I came back in time read them all."

"Okay." Chris could feel a headache coming on. "But what about paradoxes?"

"I've got a spell going that will safely maintain the paradox," Another Chris said. "It's one of the little things you'll find while studying."

Chris took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know what?" he said. "I'm just going to go with it. Hand me a book."

* * *

Chris sighed with relief as he snapped the last book closed. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. _Just in time too_, he thought. _Twilight will be looking for me soon._ He got up and stretched and a loud growl came from his stomach, forcibly reminding him that fuelling his body with magic for nearly twelve hours wasn't a very good idea.

"That's our cue," said another Chris.

A moment later there was a large flash of light as eleven Chris-es vanished.

_Well,_ the last Chris thought as he left the wing. _That was certainly the most interesting study session I've ever had._

"Hey Chris," Twilight called, trotting up to him. "Learn anything interesting?"

Chris thought for a moment then shrugged. "Not much."

* * *

**40.10**

Chris stood in his workroom, a rock floating amidst a web of light. By now Chris was very familiar with this rock.

"Whoever tampered with the enchantments left no trace at all," Chris said to himself. "They didn't break them either, they actually went into the matrix and altered it on a fundamental level. And then they wiped their own aura from the rock. The amount of skill that would take... Not to mention the power they'd need to meddle with one of my enchantments."

_So who can I think of that has that sort of power and skill? Twilight Sparkle for sure, but it's completely unthinkable that she'd do anything that would endanger the lives of other ponies. Same goes for any of the other princesses._ As hard as Chris thought no other possibilities emerged. Sighing Chris pushed his magic back into the stone, searching for anything that might give him a clue. _Something feels off,_ he thought_. Every time I do this something just feels... wrong. Like something really not pleasant was poking around in here._ Chris sighed and the web of light faded, the rock floating into his hand.

"I'm just going to have to keep thinking," he said.

* * *

**40.1 Pinkie will take any excuse to throw a party.  
40.2 Diamond and Silver discovering more things about friendship  
40.3 It's blue and bigger on the inside. Why does that sound familiar...?  
40.4 Cautious Diamond Tiara is cautious  
40.5 Silver Spoon's talent took me ages to come up with. I wanted to give her something different. My original idea was silver smithing, but that's too predictable and her dad already got that one. So instead I made up a weapon that could conceivably be confused with a spoon and gave her a talent in flank-kicking. Problem solved. Diamond Tiara was a lot easier really.  
40.6 Don't let the Crusaders near a chemistry set.  
40.7 I wanted to show Chris getting a bit creative with his new range of toys. Also the shimmersteel will be important at a later date. Maybe.  
40.8 It happens surprisingly often.  
40.9 Chris knows the most efficient way to study. With time travel! Also I'm not entirely sure what the plural form of Chris would be.  
40.10 The mystery deepens...**

**Remember to favourite, follow and review. See you next chapter.**


	41. Chapter 41: Two That Equestria Healed

**40.11 – The one that (almost) got away**

Scootaloo watched in interest as Silver Spoon pummelled away at a punching bag that was hanging from a tree near the Crusader clubhouse. The bag swung as Silver let loose a rapid fire series of jabs, followed by a hook. She dodged back before stepping in, her body twisting around in a high kick that made Scootaloo wince.

"Wow," the pegasus said. "That would hurt. You're really good at this, you know?"

Silver grinned at the compliment. "Thanks Scoots."

"Hey I was wondering. Would you be able to teach me some martial arts?"

Silver thought for a few moments. "I don't really think so."

"Why not? I can't be that hard."

"Well for one I'm no expert myself. I'm still learning the basics. And secondly pegasus fighting styles are pretty different from earth pony styles."

Scootaloo frowned. "What do you mean?"

Silver sighed, gathering her thoughts as she sat down. "Most martial arts styles are geared towards one of the pony races, and take advantage of that race's natural attributes. Earth pony styles tend to rely on strength and toughness. The style I'm training in at the moment is one of the basics, called the Old Oak Style. It's a very broad style, all about being sturdy while still being flexible."

"Like an oak tree," said Scootaloo.

Silver grinned. "Exactly. It focuses on putting as much strength behind your blows as possible while still being fluid and mobile."

"What about your mom? What style does she use?"

"My mother uses the Rolling Hoof Style. It trades in some strength in exchange for speed, and it's much more effective against groups. From what I understand the idea is to keep in constant motion, always moving from one opponent to the next. Every attack flows into movement, which flows into defence, which flows into another attack. It's a bit like dancing, which is why I think mother likes it." Silver paused, tapping her chin. "One other earth pony style I can think of off the top of my head is the Mountain Style. It's like the opposite of the Rolling hoof style taken to the extreme. Instead of avoiding hits it relies on blocking and withstanding them before responding with extreme force."

"What about Kung Fu?" Scootaloo asked. "Cause I remember Applebloom said once that she knew some Kung Fu."

"Kung Fu is a bit different. It was created centuries ago and doesn't really factor in any of the pony races' natural strengths. I'm pretty sure that most ponies these days don't really practice it, and everything good about it has long since been adapted into other martial arts. Same goes for karate and other older martial arts."

Scootaloo nodded, absorbing the information. "What about pegasus fighting styles? Or unicorn ones?"

"I only really know the basics about them, nothing specific. Pegasus styles depend on overwhelming speed combined with the height advantage that flying gives them. Because pegasi are a lot lighter than earth ponies their styles try to avoid relying on strength by hitting their opponent's weak points with lots of quick blows, and avoiding blows rather than blocking them. Unicorn styles are somewhere between earth pony and pegasus. A lot more of their styles are focused around weapons, due to their telekinesis. A couple even focus entirely on pure magic."

"Cool. So is it possible for, say, a pegasus to learn an earth pony style?"

Silver frowned, thinking it over. "I wouldn't say impossible for all styles," she said slowly. "It would definitely be much more difficult, but doable in most cases. Some styles would definitely be impossible for the other races to learn though. If you do want to learn I'd recommend signing up for proper classes."

* * *

**So yeah that was just one of the mini chapters that got left behind. I basically got to thinking how having the different pony races would affect the development of martial arts. But anyway, on to the actual chapter!**

* * *

"Morning," Chris called out as he entered Mechanical Marvels. The Doctor looked up from the front desk and waved before looking down again. Chris tilted his head, noticing the slight frown. "What's up Doc?" he asked.

"We have some orders, just came in this morning," the Doctor said, holding up three letters. "Two are from Manehatten and one is from Canterlot. The two from Manehatten don't have a deadline but the one from Canterlot wants two of our marching soldier toys by the end of the week."

"Ok," Chris said, still not seeing the problem. "I know we don't have any on the shelves but we can make two by the end of the week easy."

The Doctor gave a sour smile and held up another letter. "I also got this one this morning. It's from our supplier in Canterlot. Apparently there was some sort of avalanche that did a lot of damage to the train tracks up near the city. The supply delivery that was meant to be coming in today won't be coming in for at least another two weeks."

Chris groaned, everything becoming clear. "And without that shipment we won't have enough materials to make the toys."

"Exactly. I've thought about buying the materials we need from somewhere else, like Manehatten or Las Pegasus, but they'd still need to come through Canterlot."

Chris ran a hand through his hair. He knew they'd been running dangerously low on materials, but because of the delivery he hadn't been worried. Without it though they'd probably have to close the shop for a good few weeks. Unless there was some other way to get to Canterlot. _Can't go by train with the track damaged. Could always go on foot with a wagon or something. _Chris grimaced, putting that idea in the 'if all else fails' pile. Chris tapped a finger against his chin, pushing his brain harder.

The answer hit him like a ton of bricks, so obvious he wondered if he'd had enough coffee that morning.

"I could go get it!" Chris nearly shouted. The Doctor looked up and raised an eyebrow. Chris blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "Right. I just realised that I could fly to Canterlot and pick up the supplies myself."

The Doctor tool a moment to think the idea over. "How did we not think of that earlier?" he asked.

"Exactly what I was thinking."

* * *

"So you're all ready to go?"

"Yep," Chris said. "Just give me the address and I'll be on my way." He'd changed out of his shirt and jeans into what he called his flight suit. It was black and form fitting, designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. Chris had also enchanted it to keep him warm when he was flying at higher altitudes. The outfit was topped off with a pair of dark tinted goggles.

The Doctor passed Chris a piece of paper. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"I asked Rainbow Dash about it," Chris said as he slipped the paper into his pocket, "and she said that it usually takes her between two and three hours to get from here to Canterlot at cruising speed."

The Doctor frowned. "What am I supposed to do for five hours?"

Chris shrugged. "Watch the shop and find some way to entertain yourself. Maybe do the crossword in the paper."

"But the crossword is always so easy."

"Maybe try being patient?" Chris suggested as he pulled the goggles on. The Doctor grumbled and Chris rolled his eyes. "Whining isn't going to make me fly faster. I swear sometimes I think _I'm _the grown-up around here."

The Doctor snorted and said, "What's the point of being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes? Fly safe and stay clear of storm clouds."

"Will do," Chris said. He crouched down, his body glowed blue, and then rocketed upwards. The Doctor looked skywards as the trail of sapphire light levelled off and headed north, towards the capital. The Doctor huffed.

"Five hours. I can do it. I can be patient for that long."

The Doctor headed back inside the shop and thought for a second. _At the very least I can get what materials we do have here ready. First things first, blueprints._ With that in mind he walked out the back door, through the work room and into the materials room. The materials room was about the same size as the work room and just about as cluttered. Every wall was lined with shelves and a large table stood in the very centre. Normally the shelves were packed, or at the very least reasonably filled, with all the materials the shop needed. Today, however, most of the shelves were empty. The only ones that weren't were the shelves that housed the blueprints. The Doctor trotted over and pulled one of the blueprints down, barely even looking at the label. He knew where everything was off by heart. Before he left the room he wandered over to the corner, where something tucked away discreetly. This something was tall and square, and covered with a plain brown tarp. The Doctor stroked the something through the tarp, a small, sad smile on his face. Then he turned and left with the blueprint in his mouth. He didn't notice the tarp slide off the object ever so slightly.

* * *

"Ok, I've got the blueprint and a couple of the materials we'll need," the Doctor said, eyeing the little pile on the work room counter. "How long has it been?" he glanced at the clock on the wall and his face fell. "Fifteen minutes?! Seriously? Uuugh."

* * *

Chris sighed, lying on his back with his hands behind his head as his hair whipped around in the wind. As it turned out, flying in a straight line got old pretty fast. There wasn't much for Chris to do other than keep the spells holding him in the air active, which he could do pretty much without thinking these days. While he'd started out the flight admiring the scenery, at his current height the ground below passed by too slowly for it to be interesting for more than ten minutes. He knew that he could kick things up a notch to get to Canterlot sooner, but the effort would leave him too drained to make the return trip without a rest. So he was stuck at his current speed.

The monotony was broken by his phone ringing in his pocket. He carefully pulled the phone out and hit the answer button. "Hey Twilight," he said.

"Hey Chris. I was just wondering where you were. I need some help with a couple of spells."

"Sorry, I'm on my way to Canterlot at the moment. What spells were they?"

"Just some rituals that require two unicorns to work – hang on. Are you answering your phone while flying?"

Chris paused. "No…?"

"Chris I've told you before that it's dangerous to be distracted while flying."

"Twilight I'm in the middle of clear skies. I seriously doubt anything's going to pop out at me all the way up here."

"Chris I'm serious."

"Alright, alright," Chris sighed. "I'm putting away the phone now. Tell me about those spells when I get back." He hung up and put his phone away, shaking his head. "I'm perfectly capable of multi-tasking Twilight," he muttered.

* * *

The Doctor sat behind the front counter, idly bouncing a ball against a wall. Hardly any customers had been in today, owing to the limited selection on the shelves. He'd finished the crossword in the paper in under five minutes, re-organised the work room, cleaned the shop, practiced juggling and discussed the benefits of getting a goldfish.

All in one hour. The Doctor groaned as he caught sight of the clock, distracting him long enough for the ball to hit him in the face.

* * *

One of the problems with his method of flying, Chris reflected, was that it was made up of two spells, the kinetic envelope and the propulsion blast. He'd managed to streamline the two spells slightly, decreasing the energy requirements and increasing the output by finding the optimal harmonic frequency for them, but they still required the use of both hands to run them simultaneously.

Chris sighed. Apparently he started sounding like Twilight when he got bored. Great.

* * *

The Doctor lay on his back on the front counter, eating a sandwich.

"Bored," he moaned through a mouthful of lettuce, tomato and daisies.

* * *

Chris raised an eyebrow, looking down on the scene far below. "They weren't kidding when they said severe damage," he muttered to himself.

On the ground a team of unicorns were busy melting away the huge pile of snow that covered the train tracks. Chris could see the parts of the track that had already been thawed out were twisted and buckled, some parts ripped clean off the sleepers. A couple of earth ponies were surveying the damage while some pegasi were busy flying around the top of the mountain, keeping an eye out for any signs of another avalanche.

Chris watched them for a little more as they passed below him, then looked forward and smiled. "At least this means I'm almost there," he said to himself.

Ten minutes later Chris was gliding gently up to the front gate of Canterlot city. As usual his arrival drew stares from all sides, all of which were ignored as Chris gently touched down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small piece of paper with the supplier's address written on it. He frowned when he realised he didn't have a clue where the street was.

"Excuse me," he said, walking over to a rather stunned looking guard. "Would you be able to tell me how to get to this address?"

* * *

"I must say, I didn't expect you to come all the way out here just to pick up your delivery."

Chris shrugged as the pony led him through the warehouse. "We're fairly desperate for the supplies right now. Waiting for the tracks to be repaired wasn't really an option. I had the means to get here and pick up our supplies myself."

"Speaking of which, how do you plan on getting the supplies back? You mentioned that you flew here but, well…" the pony trailed off, gesturing to a large crate with 'Mechanical Marvels, Ponyville' stamped on it. "It's a bit big for just one pony to carry."

"Don't worry about that. My bag is enchanted to be a lot bigger on the inside than the outside."

"That's quite clever. Maybe an idea for me to think about. But still how are you planning on getting the crate into the bag in the first place?"

Chris drew breath to reply, then paused and thought for a second.

"Huh."

* * *

After a bit of thinking, a bathroom break and an incident involving a cat, an air pump and large cactus, Chris managed to get the crate into his bag by the simple expedient of teleporting it straight inside. He then said his goodbyes and took off for Ponyville.

The flight back was just as uneventful as the flight there. It wasn't quite as long though; Chris felt more confident about pushing himself a bit faster on the way back.

Rainbow Dash gave him a wave as he drew close to the town, which he returned as they passed each other, heading in opposite directions. He applied a bit more pressure to the propulsion spell the slow himself and dropped gently to the ground, right in front of Mechanical Marvels. _Finally back_, he sighed inwardly, relieved.

The bell tinkled as he pushed the door open. "Doctor, I'm back," he called. There was a snort and the Doctor's head shot up from the counter.

"Hnn? Wha? Oh Chris, you're b-back," he said, stifling a yawn. Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Keeping busy I see."

"Oh yeah. Real busy." The Doctor yawned again. "Did you get all the stuff?"

"Yup, it's all in the bag. Do you want me to put it in the store room?"

The Doctor nodded, covering another yawn. Chris walked around the back into the store room. He'd never admit it to the Doctor, but he really didn't like being in the materials room. He wasn't afraid of it or anything it just made him feel… uncomfortable. Whenever he was standing in that room he always felt like he'd forgotten something. Like there was something nagging at the back of his mind. He did his best to ignore the feeling as he set his backpack on the table.

There wasn't enough room to bring the crate out of the bag, so Chris decided he'd have to try something else instead. His hands glowed and he closed his eyes, sharpening his focus. There was a thunk from inside the bag as the crate's lid opened. Then a small cardboard box floated out of the opening, held by Chris's aura. It was followed by another and another and another. The first box opened and the cogs inside were lifted out and placed in a basket on the shelf, right where they were supposed to be. The same thing happened with the next box as the first one was flattened and laid down on the table. Chris's brow furrowed as more boxes floated out of the bag. It wasn't so much to power requirements that were giving him trouble, it was the sheer amount of concentration it took to manipulate so many objects at once. And concentrating was difficult with that nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He almost dropped a box a couple of times, but eventually all of the new materials were put away. Chris let his hands drop with a sigh of relief and grabbed his bag off the table, turning to leave the room. Then he froze, noticing something.

Something in the corner of his eye. Something blue.

He turned slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the spot. In the corner of the room was something tall and box-like, covered in a brown tarp. The tarp looked to have slipped, a corner of whatever was underneath peeking out, deep blue against brown. Chris blinked. He didn't remember ever seeing it there. But he did at the same time. He frowned, looking harder at his memories. Yes he was sure it had always been there, but… he also remembered it not being there. His head started aching so he stopped thinking about it. Instead he stepped up, grabbed the tarp and pulled.

A box stood before him. A big, blue, wooden box. There was a pair of doors on one side, with windows near the top, and above them was written 'Police Public Call Box'. On the left door was a plaque Chris didn't bother to read. He stepped closer, the tarp falling from his hand as curiosity overrode common sense.

"What are you?" he whispered, gently placing his hand on the cool wood of the door.

With a click the door swung inwards. Inside was dark, far darker than any little blue box had the right to be. Chris raised a hand and bright blue light appeared in his palm. Chris frowned. There was no opposite wall. He took a step away from the box looked over it. Just a small, blue box. He stuck his head back in the door, his light illuminating a room that was far bigger than it should have been.

Chris stepped inside, the metal grating rattling slightly under his feet. The room was domed shaped, the roof arcing high above. Graceful, curving pillars stretched up from the floor to join the ceiling. In the centre of the room was another pillar, this one clear like glass, with glass tubes inside it. Around the bottom of the central pillar was a console of sorts. Chris stepped closer, the light letting him see the huge number of dials, levers, buttons and what looked like half a bike pump scattered all over the console. His eyes were drawn to a laptop sitting on a rail above the console. _Made for human hands_, he thought to himself.

"It's called the TARDIS." Chris looked over his shoulder as the Doctor walked in the door. He didn't look angry, or even annoyed. He sounded different, old and tired, the voice of one who had seen far too much. "T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space."

Chris thought over the name for a second. "It's a time machine?" he asked. "How come I've never noticed it before?"

"It's a perception filter. Alters your perception just a tiny bit, so you see it but you don't notice it. And yes it is a time machine. The best one in the universe. Travels anywhere in time and space. Or she used to."

"Used to? What happened to it?"

"She died," the Doctor said simply. "I'm not from this universe, much like you. In fact I even used to look human. I was a Time Lord, one of a race of people from the planet Gallifrey. Acutally I was the last Time Lord. The rest of my people were… gone. But I stole this TARDIS," he patted the console affectionately, "and ran away to see the universe. And I never stopped running." He grinned for a moment, then the grin faded. "I made enemies of course. Lots of enemies. Trouble had a habit of finding me."

"… Did you travel alone?"

"Sometimes. But often I travelled with others, friends. There were so many of them, and I remember every one. They all left after a time. Some were left behind, some chose to leave and some… some died."

"… How did you end up here?"

The corners of the Doctor's mouth twitched. "Accidentally. I was running from one of my enemies when the TARDIS fell through a rift in time and space. We fell through the void and crash landed here. Crash landed so badly that I ended up regenerating, and something about this universe made me regenerate as a pony."

"Regenerate?"

"When a Time Lord is dying our bodies… reset, sort of. Our cells repair, our organs heal, we're completely renewed. But we also change. Face, voice, personality, it all changes when we regenerate. We're a completely different person. Or pony," The Doctor said with a dry smile.

"I see," said Chris. "So how did the TARDIS die?"

The Doctor sighed. "The TARDIS is powered by the energy of the universe. My universe specifically. It can't use the energy in this universe so when we came here everything drained dry. The last time it happened to me I only managed to get back by pure luck. This time though there was nothing I could do." The Doctor was silent for a time as he rubbed a hoof along the edge of the console. "After that I managed to find my way to Ponyville. The TARDIS had crashed a little ways into the Everfree. I got myself set up with a job, and eventually transported the TARDIS here. At first all I could think about was trying to get back home. Finding some way to fix the TARDIS. But…"

"… But the longer you stayed, the more you felt at peace," Chris finished. "The more you wanted to stay." The Doctor nodded.

"The more I fell in love with this place. It was a completely fresh start. No more enemies, no more running from my memories. I felt like I belonged here."

Chris nodded. "I can understand. It's how I feel sometimes too."

For a time the two of them were silent. Then the Doctor asked, "Why us, do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did we get brought here? Was it fate or dumb luck?"

"… I'd say we were brought here because here was where we really needed to be."

"Maybe."

For a while longer they sat in silence, a comfortable thoughtful silence. Then the Doctor broke it.

"Come on," he said, sounding like his usual self. "We have an order to get done."

"Before we do Doctor," Chris said. "I was wondering; who are you?"

The Doctor smiled, understanding the meaning behind the question. He turned to face Chris and stood tall. "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I've live nine hundred and twelve years, not all of them good. Some called me a hero, some called me a villain. I've stood against the darkness time and time again. I am the Doctor." As he spoke a fire burnt in his eyes and Chris could feel his presence fill the room, age and knowledge radiating form the pony before him.

Chris smiled and inclined his head. "Hello Doctor. I'm Chris. It's good to meet you."

* * *

"Your Majesty."

Princess Celestia looked up from her paper work as a guard trotted into the throne room. "Ah Sergeant Gust. I assume you have news from the avalanche site?"

"Some Princess. The clearing of the snow is still underway, as is the analysis of the damage. However there is one thing we've discovered, which is why I'm here."

Celestia's eyebrows rose slightly. "What is it Sergeant?"

"The survey team noticed that the damage to the tracks was far more severe than it should have been. Even with the amount of snow that came down on them they shouldn't have been wrecked so badly. Also the pegasus team has so far come up with no explanation as to how the avalanche started in the first place."

"What are you suggesting Sergeant?"

Sergeant Gust cleared his throat. "I believe – and I'm not the only one – that somepony, probably a unicorn, wrecked the tracks, then caused the avalanche to try and cover it up."

"That is… concerning. Has any other evidence been found?"

"None, Princess."

"Very well then. Continue clearing the snow and alert me if there are any further developments."

"Yes Your Majesty."

"And Sergeant?"

Gust turned at the door, looking back at the Princess. "It might do to keep your suspicions between the crown and the guards for now," she said. Gust bowed.

"Of course, Your Majesty.

* * *

**Some pretty serious developments going on in this chapter. Also Chris and the Doctor don't handle boredom very well.**

**And if any of you are wondering there probably won't be any wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey adventures with the Doctor in the future. Not at this stage anyway.**

**Favourite and stuff like that. **


	42. Chapter 42: Facing the Past

The Saturday morning was balmy and bright, with ponies out and about enjoying the start to the weekend. Many congregated to the park, enjoying a picnic in the sun or a nice stroll with a friend. It also found Chris in the library, staring blankly at a trio of blackboards.

"So this is that personal project that you mentioned?" he asked. The boards were covered in dense script. Neat rows of magi-mathematical formulae, conversion diagrams, thaumic cascade regulation formulae and aetherial coordinates.

"Yep. I've been working on it for months," Twilight replied, looking rather pleased with herself. "What do you think?"

"I'll be honest Twi', I can only follow about thirty percent of what you've written. Spell formulae really aren't my strong suit."

At this Twilight frowned. "I though you said you'd been studying."

"I have! Spell formulae just don't really click with me though. It all goes in one ear and out the other."

Twilight sighed and looked over her shoulder. Her horn glowed as a book slid off the shelf and floated over to Chris. "This should help. It's about memory improving techniques, some magical, some otherwise. I've read it several times-."

"That's a shock."

"-and it's really helped me improve my memory," Twilight finished, acting as though she hadn't heard Chris's quip.

"Thanks Twi'."

"No problem. Got to make sure my student is actually learning, don't I?"

"I am learning."

The door opened and Rainbow Dash walked in. "Morning you two. What's going – whoa. What's with all the egghead stuff?" she asked, looking at the boards.

"The term is 'intellectual'," Chris said without missing a beat.

"Same difference. What is all that anyway?"

"It's a spell formula, a method for writing down spells. It details how the magic will be shaped to produce the effect you want."

Rainbow frowned, scratching her head. "I though you used those glyph thingies?"

"Glyphs are just a different way of writing the same thing. They're sort of like shorthand for spell formulae," Chris explained.

"Most academics use the spell formula system though," Twilight added. "It gives a lot more detail on the workings of the spell than glyphs."

"I prefer to use glyphs because they're quicker to write out, and because I started learning them before I learnt about spell formulae," said Chris.

"Right," said Rainbow. "So you have no idea what that stuff on the boards are about?"

"Haven't a clue," said Chris. "Twilight?"

"Well it's basically the most powerful scrying spell ever invented," Twilight said. "This spell can let you see literally anything, anywhere in the universe. There are a couple of limitations; it takes an awful lot of power to use and you have to know where you're looking or what you're looking for. Other than that though it can let you look at pretty much anything you want, anywhere. It also has a variation which can allow you to track the thing you're scrying."

"Wow," said Chris. "That's actually pretty impressive. No wonder you needed three boards to write it all down."

"Thanks," said Twilight. "But anyway, what did you want Rainbow?"

"Oh, yeah. I just came by to return Chris's book," Rainbow said, pulling Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men from her saddlebags.

"Finished already?" Chris asked. "It's only been like five days."

"I could hardly put it down. I am so pumped for the last one."

At this Chris sighed. "Yes, well, unfortunately I don't actually have the last one."

Rainbow froze for a moment, her smile fading. "What?"

"I don't have the last Skulduggery Pleasant book. I left before it came out."

"Aw come on," Rainbow wailed. "But – but – what about Valkyrie and – and Darquesse and Tanith and-."

"Rainbow, calm down," Twilight said sharply. "I feel the same way, but there's no point getting all worked up about it. To get the last book we'd have to go to Chris's world, and we have no idea where the portal to it is."

It was then that the idea occurred to Chris. "Twilight," he said. "Can this scrying spell locate an object from someone's memories?"

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "I'm pretty sure it could. As long as you can picture the thing in your mind the spell should be able to find it. Why – oh." Twilight's eyes widened with realisation. "Chris you don't have to do that."

"What? If it works, why not?"

"Wait, what are you doing?" Rainbow asked, feeling like she'd missed something.

"Chris wants to use the scrying spell to locate the portal so he can go get the last book," Twilight explained.

"What, really? Chris you don't have to do that just for Twi' and me. I know you don't like it whenever your old world comes up." In those moments Chris tended to become quiet and pensive as unwelcome memories surfaced.

Chris snorted. "I'm not going to do it just for you two. I want to read the last book too dammit. Now what do I have to do Twilight?"

"Well if you're sure about this," Twilight said. "Just hold the idea of the portal in your head. You don't have to remember what it looks like, but if you can it will help the sell be more accurate. I'll do the rest."

"Got it. Give me a second." Chris closed his eyes, thinking. After a few seconds of silence he said, "Ok, I've got it." Twilight nodded and closed her eyes too, her horn starting to glow.

"Thankfully the portal is pretty unique, so it should be relatively easy to locate," she said. Light rose from her horn like a purple mist, swirling lazily above her head in a large disk. For a few seconds nothing seemed to happen, then Rainbow noticed the centre of the magic disk seemed to be changing. A hazy image started to emerge, nothing but a muddled blob of colour. It started to sharpen, shapes emerging and colours separating. Eventually it came into focus, a small, still pool with the twisted, gnarled boughs of the Everfree Forest bending over it. The image became sharper and sharper, until Rainbow could make out individual blades of grass. The swirling cloud of magic shivered, before collapsing into a bright ball of light which shot upwards, passing harmlessly through the ceiling. Rainbow hurried over to the window in time to see it arcing away over the Everfree and out of sight.

"The tracker part of the spell seems to be working," said Twilight, still with her eyes closed. "I've almost got it… there!"

"You found the portal?" Chris asked, opening his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I did. Hang on a second and I'll transfer the tracker lead to you."

Chris raised a hand as a small thread of purple light streamed from the tip of Twilight's horn. It wrapped quickly around his fingers, the colour changing to blue. Chris could feel the lead, like a very gentle pull at the back of his mind, leading him towards wherever the tracker spell had gone. The glow from Twilight's horn finally faded as she opened her eyes, looking a little weary.

"Well," she said. "That was a pretty successful test run."

Chris hesitated. "Test run? This was a test run?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Twilight the last of your test runs I participated in was when you tried cooking."

Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes. Rainbow grinned and asked, "What was that like?"

"Let's just say I found out why Spike cooks."

"I warned you," came Spike's voice from upstairs. Twilight grumbled.

"Anyway," she said forcefully. "When were you planning on heading over there?"

"Tomorrow morning I reckon. I may as well get it done with quickly."

* * *

**The next morning…**

Twilight stood in the living room of Chris's house while Chris got dressed behind the closed door of his bedroom.

"Are you really sure you want to go alone?" she asked.

"As sure as I can be," Chris answered, slightly muffled by the door. "I don't think the portal to my old world is the same as the one that goes to Canterlot High. I'm fairly certain that it wouldn't turn you into a human if you went through it at any rate. Also I'd really rather just do this by myself."

"Alright, if that's what you think. How are you going to pay for the book? Do you have any money from over there?"

"Not really, but I'm not too worried about that. I've got plenty of bits in my bag and I could trade them for money or something. Gold is a lot more valuable over there than it is in Equestria seeing as they can't alchemically transmute it."

"It sounds like you've got this all figured out."

"Why do you sound surprised? I'm perfectly capable of coming up with good plans."

"Uh-huh."

"I am. I just choose not to do so, so as not to devoid others of the opportunity."

"Of course you do."

"Oh hush you." The door to the bedroom opened and Chris stepped out. "How do I look?" Twilight had to admit, he looked pretty good. His trousers were black and form fitting, made of a sturdy looking material Twilight couldn't recognise. An intricate pattern sewn in white thread decorated the edges of the pockets and the cuffs, which fell over the tops of his black boots. His t-shirt was black too, perfectly fitted for him, with a sprawling, swirling white pattern on one side of the chest. A bracelet made of a fine silver chain hung around his left wrist.

"You look alright," Twilight said.

"Good enough for me." Chris reached into his armchair and picked up his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder. "I should be back before too long," Chris said as they went outside. He closed the door behind him and tapped the frame. A glyph lit up briefly the door locked.

"Good luck. And stay out of trouble."

"When have I ever gotten into trouble?" Chris asked. Twilight gave him a look. "Fair point," Chris decided. Then a blue glow surrounded him and he shot into the sky. Twilight waved goodbye before turning around and heading for the library. Meanwhile Chris was flying low and fast, heading in the direction the tracker lead was telling him. The pull was quickly growing stronger, signalling that he was closing in. He adjusted course slightly and shed some speed so he wouldn't overshoot. He dipped a little lower, almost skimming the tree tops. He was getting very, very close if the lead was accurate. He angled himself upwards and poured magic into his speed, laughing as he rocketed upwards. He slowed to a stop as he neared the clouds and looked down. Almost directly below him he could see water glinting in the sun through a break in the trees. He focused on the tracker spell and felt a reply from that exact spot. Chris nodded and took a deep breath, readying himself. Then curled up, tilted forward and bulleted downwards. Wind rushed past his face, stinging his eyes as the pond got closer and closer and it was far too late to stop himself if he changed his mind.

There was no splash, not even a ripple. Chris simply passed straight through the mirror-like surface of the pond into a tunnel of light and motion and time and space rushed past him in a mind bending whirl. Everything dissolved into light and then Chris broke through the other side, soaring up into the air. He quickly got his speed in check and hung there, looking around. He wasn't sure what he expected. Everything to be grey and gloomy maybe. But no, the morning sun beamed down on everything, lighting up the crisp, fresh colours of the world. He slowly lowered himself down to the ground by the pond. It felt surreal, after living in a cartoon coloured world for so long, for everything to be so suddenly detailed. He wandered over to the willow tree that hung over the pond and leaned in close, taking in all the minute details. He laughed a little to himself and turned back to the pond. With a flick of his hand he cast a homing spell, a small orb jumping into the air before fading from sight. It was still there, just unseen. Chris frowned to himself. That had felt odd. He could still cast magic the same as ever but the magic in this world felt… different than in Equestria. Chris couldn't think of any other way to describe it than it felt sleepy. Then Chris shook his head, clearing such matters from his mind, and walked off. It wasn't far to the city, so it would probably be safer walking than flying.

* * *

Chris had almost forgotten what a Brisbane summer morning looked like. He'd completely forgotten how damn hot it got. As he strolled down South Bank he was glad that one of the enchantments he'd put on his clothes was a heat regulator. Other people sitting on the sides of the path were fanning themselves and remarking to their friends how much of a scorcher it was today. It was actually a bit unnerving with so many people about. After so many months of living with ponies who were almost invariably a head or two shorter than him, it was weird having people on the same eye level. On the other side of the Brisbane River the skyscrapers of the CBD glinted and stretched into the sky. Chris smirked a little. They had nothing on Canterlot.

He turned on to the Victoria Bridge, the river flowing steadily below him as he crossed over. A ferry passed below, full of people in hats and sunglasses, doing whatever regular people did, while Chris thought. His original plan had been to go to a jewellers or a Cash Converters and sell some of his bits. But now that he thought about it, that plan was a little risky. For one, how would he convince the people that his big bag full of gold was genuine? For two, if he did manage to convince them, how would he sell a big bag of gold coins without it looking suspicious?

_Why not make an exchange directly at the source,_ a little voice said in his head. Chris knew this little voice well. It often suggested ideas that were reckless, stupid and more often than not only just avoided ending in disaster. It was also a voice that he would never not listen to. So Chris grinned, and started planning to do something stupid.

* * *

Teleporting was difficult. Among all unicorns in Equestria, this was considered a well-known fact. However, many unicorns did not realise just how difficult it really was. The spell caused a small gap in reality to open, which allowed the caster to travel just under the skin of the universe at not quite the speed of light. Seeing as they couldn't interact with any physical objects, the caster was able to travel in a straight line from point A to point B. Most unicorns preferred to have a line of sight with their destination, so as to avoid appearing in the middle or a table or something similar, though teleporting blind was still possible. It was just trickier.

Teleporting blind into a bank vault while remaining completely undetected was, without exaggeration, very, very tricky. But Chris managed.

It wasn't stealing, not really. He'd left a small pile of bits in the vault in exchange for the cash he took, and he'd even left a little extra to make up for whatever inconvenience he caused.

Chris smiled as he walked down Queen Street Mall, eyes drifting over the shops around him. He had a whole lot of money in his pocket and whole lot of stuff to spend it on. His smile widened, making him look like a kid who'd just bought the candy the store. It was time to go shopping.

* * *

Several hours later Chris walked out of the bookstore, having finally got what he actually came here for after getting distracted many, many times. _I shouldn't be allowed to carry so much money,_ he thought to himself. _I always end up spending it all._ Just then his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a police car driving up the street. Curiosity turned to surprise when the car stopped in the middle of the street, right next to him. It was only then that it occurred to him that he'd been missing from this world for several months and that someone had probably called the police.

One of the doors on the car opened and a woman stepped out, a woman Chris recognised instantly. Her golden blonde hair was tied back in an elegant bun, her blouse was deep scarlet and her skirt was black. Her shoes clacked loudly on the pavement as she marched towards Chris, her hazel eyes filled with a mix of emotions. Chris slowly took a deep breath, preparing himself for the tirade he was sure was coming.

Then his mother wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and started sobbing into his shoulder.

"Thank God, thank God, you're alright," she gasped through the sobs, while Chris looked stunned and tried to process this rather unexpected development. Other doors on the police car opened and more people got out. A little girl, barely ten years old, jumped out first and ran across the road after her mother, her dark brown tresses bouncing wildly. Her dress was periwinkle blue and her sandals were white.

"Big brother!" she squealed, cannoning into Chris's legs to join the hug.

Two more people got out of the car after Chris's sister. Both men, both so very similar. One not much more than a young man, the other older. Both with short cut dark hair and eyes the same colour as Chris's. The elder was tall, his body strong. A few days' worth of stubble covered his jawline. The younger was just as tall as his father, but narrower and clean shaven. Chris's father was dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans, while his brother was wearing a dress shirt and trousers. The two of them hung back from the hug, but Chris could see the tears in his father's eyes and the look of absolute relief on his brother's.

Not having the slightest clue what was going on, Chris simply said, "Wha…?"

* * *

**Well he didn't see that one coming.**

**I considered for a while just not naming the city. But eventually I decided against it.**

**Next time, Chris deals with his family issues.**


	43. Chapter 43: And Looking to the Future

**I am REALLY sorry abut the long wait. My motivation to write was down for a while, plus I've been busy with university and such. On that note the chapters are probably going to be coming out a bit slower for the foreseeable future.**

**Now, read on!**

* * *

The interview room was quiet. Chris sat in his chair, arms and legs crossed, staring impassively at the wall opposite. Across the table his father was fidgeting uncomfortably, stealing glances at Chris every now and then. His mother, while no longer crying, sniffled every now and then and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Meanwhile his brother was sitting off to the side with his sister, keeping her occupied as she scribbled in a colouring book and hummed to herself. Not a word had been said between any of them since they'd entered the room ten minutes ago.

The door opened and a middle-aged woman walked in, her long dark hair tied back in a simple ponytail. "Hello," she said to Chris. "I'm Officer Jennifer Kingsley. I've been liaising with your parents during the investigation into your disappearance."

"Pleasure," Chris said. Jennifer hesitated slightly, a little unnerved by the chill in his voice.

"Officer Jenny!" Chris's sister squealed, receiving a smile in reply.

"Hello Julie," said Jenny. "How are you today?"

"I'm happy! I got some new crayons and my big brother's back!" Julie beamed.

"That's good to hear. How about you Michael?"

Chris's brother nodded. "I'm fine too."

Jenny nodded and turned her attention back to Chris, her smile faltering somewhat under the force of his icy exterior. The room descended once again into uncomfortable silence. Jenny knew there were questions she had to ask, but some part of her really didn't want to be the one to break the silence.

Then his mother said, "I like what you've done with your hair." It was a half-hearted attempt at conversation, but Chris's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, like some small amount of surprise had managed to break through. Jenny decided to charge ahead now that someone had broken the ice.

"I need to ask you some questions in relation to your disappearance," she began, taking the last seat at the table.

"I expect you do," Chris replied. Again, Jenny hesitated. That hadn't been a refusal, but it did seem like an invitation either.

"Ok then. How about we start with where you've been?"

"Travelling."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Travelling where?"

"Nowhere in particular."

Jenny sighed. "Chris you've been missing for almost four months. You can't have just been wandering about all that time." Chris just shrugged and she tried a different angle. "You're parents have been very worried about you. You owe it to them to let them know you've been safe."

Chris's eyes met hers and she realised that might have been the wrong thing to say. "I _owe _them? Owe them for what? Eighteen years of being their second best? Eighteen years of being their little tin soldier, doing whatever they tell me to, having no choice of my own? Eighteen years of being told I could do better and that I was a waste of potential? Do I owe them for that?" Chris leaned forward, his hands on the table, his impassiveness replace with cold anger. "Like hell I do. I don't owe you anything. You're lucky I'm even bothering to stay here. Do you want to know the reason I ran away, Officer Jenny? I did it because my own parents told, and I quote, 'You will do as we say and go to university or you will get out of this house'." That sentence hung in the air for a long moment. "Put that in your report. I'm leaving."

"Wait please," his mother said as Chris stood. "Please just… give us a chance to explain."

For a moment Jenny thought Chris would ignore her. Instead he stopped and stared at his mother for a few moments, then sighed and dropped back into his seat.

"One chance," he said. "That's all I'm giving you. One chance to explain. If at any point I don't like it, I'm walking out that door and you'll never see me again."

His mother nodded and dabbed at her eyes again. "You have to understand," she said, "we only ever wanted the best for you. We wanted you to push yourself to achieve so you could have a good life."

"But you were never as interested in that as we wanted," his father continued. "You never pushed yourself, and it showed in your grades-."

"My grades," Chris said, "were fine."

"But we all knew you could do so much better. We weren't sure what to do, so we tried to give you that push."

"And you decided the best way to do that was to criticise me at every opportunity?"

His parents winced. "We didn't mean it to seem like that, and we realise that was unfair," his mother said.

Chris grunted. "I suppose that was also the reason behind the constant comparisons to Michael successes."

Michael went bright red and looked away awkwardly. "Well… yes," his father said. "We wanted to try and give you a role model to look up to."

"It didn't come across like that," Chris said. "To me it felt like I was being told that he was better than me. Like I couldn't measure up. And you," his gave swung round to Michael, "certainly didn't help with that."

Michael grimaced and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know. I was insensitive… and a jerk. But, I guess I sort of got to thinking the same as you. With mum and dad always going on about how successful I was doing in school and stuff I started thinking that… it went to my head is what I'm saying. I'm sorry. For a little while after you disappeared I didn't think much of it. I still thought I was better than you at the time so it seemed unimportant. But the house was so… lonely. And quiet without you. I kept getting up in the morning expecting to hear you singing again."

"I didn't like it with you gone," Julie piped up. "I was really sad and I kept having nightmares."

Chris stiffened and fell quiet. He'd forgotten all about that, that habit he'd developed, of singing a lullaby to Julie when she had a nightmare. It had just become an instinct over the years.

His mother decided to continue in his silence. "The day you went missing... what we said… we should never had said any of it. But we were worried about you and your future. It all looked so uncertain and we didn't want you to end up… well our worst fear was that you'd end up on the streets somewhere. But we shouldn't have tried to force you into going to university. We should have let you choose your future for yourself. We were selfish and thoughtless and… we're sorry."

Chris at there for a while, looking down at the table. Jenny thought he was going to get up and leave at any moment.

"I need to use the bathroom," Chris said, quiet and thoughtful. "Excuse me."

With that he rose from his chair and silently walked out of the room. His father gave a tired sigh and his mother started crying again.

* * *

The bathroom door swung shut behind Chris and he sighed. Whatever confusion he'd been feeling earlier was nothing to what he was feeling now. His eyes stung and the back of his throat felt tight. Was it true? All those years, had they really just been trying to get him to achieve? Had it really been him that had taken things out of proportion. He took a step forward and caught sight of himself in the mirror, and stared.

He was different. It was hard to notice it in Equestria, where things changed so little, but here the change was evident for all to see. His stance was different, taller and practically screaming confidence. His eyes looked alive with a whirlwind of imagination. His body was just as slim as ever, but the strength was evident in the lean muscle on his arms. His hair had grown longer, hanging around his face. The streaks of rose pink running through his fringe were startlingly different.

_I'm a different person_, Chris thought, hand on the vanity as he leaned into the mirror. _I'm not who I was when I left here last. Everything about me is different._ He glared at his reflection. _So why am I holding onto these old feelings?_ Chris closed his eyes and breathed in. _I chose my own path, and I will continue to follow it. I'm not going to let my past distract me anymore. I'm a new person_. Chris opened his eyes. _And I will make a new future._

A weight he didn't know had been there lifted from his heart as he forgave his family and a smile shone from his reflection, looking far more natural than any smile ever had before.

It fell when he heard the scream.

* * *

The man's name was Steven Down. He'd been arrested multiple times before for drunk and disorderly conduct and a few minor assaults. He'd been brought down yet again for yelling drunken abuse and threatening violence at passers-by after being thrown out of his favourite bar. When a pair of officers had picked him up he'd gone amicably enough, albeit insulting the officers every minute of the drive. But the closer they'd got to the station the angrier and less stable he became. By the time they'd gotten him through the front doors he was threatening violence on everyone who even looked at him. Chris's mum and dad had been busy getting a coffee with Jenny when Steen was brought past them. A drunken stumble had sent him into Chris's dad, who turned to apologise, only to be socked across the jaw. Chris's mother had screamed and he'd grabbed her, holding her in front of him like a shield. All the officers froze, their hands near their Tasers but unwilling to draw them while a civilian was in the line of fire. Steven had an arm around her throat, keeping her in place.

"Let her go Mr. Down," One of the officers said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Don't you tell me what to do," Steven slurred, face flushed and eyes unfocused. "I done nothing wrong! I'm a victim of… urp… of police brutality!"

Then, just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, another voice cut through the noise.

"You should really listen to them. Let her go, now."

Steven spun, dragging Chris's mother with him, as Chris himself walked down the corridor behind him with the look of someone remaining calm to hide an incomprehensible amount of anger.

"You stay out of this!" Steven snarled, swaying drunkenly. "I've done nothing wrong!"

"I'll say it again. Let. Her. Go. Now."

"What if I don't? You gonna make me?"

Chris's smile was neither happy nor pleasant. "If that's the way you want it, then I'm happy to oblige."

His hands glowed with a sapphire light and he swept them out to the side. The same glow appeared around Steven and yanked his arms open before tossing him back. He hit the ground and tumbled a little, dazed but otherwise unhurt. Everyone in the room stared at Chris as he walked towards the drunken man, who was getting to his feet. With an enraged roar Steven stumbled forward, throwing wild punches. Chris breezed around two of them, blocked the third and delivered a powerful punch to the gut. Steven staggered back, eyes wide as his breath left him. Chris stepped in and caught him across the face with a sharp backhand slap, making do a little twirl before toppling. Surprisingly he got back to his feet, shaking his head like a dog clearing water. He narrowed his eyes at Chris and lunged with a roar. Chris's hands filled with light, the room practically vibrated with power and a double blast of energy caught Steven in the chest, easily taking him off his feet and slamming him into the far wall. He collapsed in a groaning, half-conscious heap. Blue light surrounded him again, lifting him off the floor and pulling him in front of Chris. All pretence at calmness was gone, letting his fury show.

"Let me make something quite clear," he said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "You do not hurt or threaten my family. And if you ever lay a finger on my mother again, I'll make the last few minutes seem like nothing. Do we have an understanding?" Steven whimpered. "Good." The blue light vanished and he dropped to the ground, curled up and groaned. Chris took a deep breath, imagining his anger collecting in his chest, then let it out again, blowing the collected emotions away. _Thanks for teaching me that Twi,_ he thought to himself.

"Sorry you had to see that," he said to the room at large. The room stared at him, with many mouths agape. Chris felt himself start to go red and coughed awkwardly. Even Michael and Julie were there, looking at him in complete astonishment. His mother was the first to recover.

"What… what was that?" she asked, sounding faint.

Chris heaved a sighed. "That was magic. Real life, actual magic."

"But… but-."

"How-?"

"I'll explain everything," Chris said quickly as his mum and dad started to babble. "I promise I'll explain. But you may want to sit down first. It's a bit of a long story."

* * *

They moved back into the interview room and Chris told his family and Officer Jenny everything. He told them of Equestria. Of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike. He told them about Celestia and Luna, the princesses who moved the sun and moon, and of the Doctor, the other lost soul who'd found peace in Equestria. He told them how he came to end up there, how the ponies had become his dearest friends, how they were the greatest thing to ever happen to him. He told them how he discovered his magic, the incredible power he held inside him. He told them of the life he'd made for himself, of the adventures he'd had and the amazing things he'd seen. He told them everything that had happened over the last four months, and he held nothing back. He didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like hours.

"… So I decided to come back here to get the last book. The fact that I'd been missing for months kind of… slipped my mind. And, well, that's about it," Chris finished. For a few moments silence reigned.

"That's… quite a tale," his father said.

"I'm fairly sure no one outside of this building will ever believe it," Jenny said. "But thanks for telling me anyway." She gave the other occupants of the room a quick glance and said, "I'll leave you all alone for a few minutes."

After she left everyone became silent once again. Then Chris's mother looked at him sadly. "I suppose this means you won't be staying here."

Chris slowly shook his head. "My life is in Equestria now. It's where I belong. But when you think about it, I actually have everything you wanted for me. I have a job I love, a house of my own, friends that I couldn't imagine being without, and most of all I'm happier than I've ever been."

"But I don't won't you to go!" Julie whined, stamping her foot with a pout. "You only just came back."

"I know Julie," Chris said, kneeling down to look her in the eyes. "But Equestria is where I'm needed most."

Julie sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "But I'll m-miss you if you go."

"You don't have to miss me. I promise I'll visit again."

Julie looked up at him with glistening eyes. "R-really?"

Chris nodded. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Julie giggled, wiping away the last of the tears. Chris smiled back and stood up, turning to the rest of his family. "This isn't goodbye," he said. "I want to make things right between all of us. Maybe I'll bring my friends over next time."

His parents laughed nervously. "I don't think we're quite ready for that," his father said.

"I am!" Julie squealed, suddenly ecstatic. "I wanna see the ponies!"

Chris laughed along with everyone else, then noticed his mother looking at him with fresh tears in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

"That's the first time," she said, voice thick with emotion, "in a very long time, that I've heard you laugh like that." She gave a choked sob as the tears spilled. "I'm so proud of you."

This time when his mother hugged him, Chris gladly returned it. The rest of his family joined the hug too. Jenny stood at the door, unnoticed by any of them. Eventually the family split apart and Jenny stepped forward.

"I think you'll need this," she said, putting Chris's backpack on the table. "We didn't manage to get into it by the way."

"Good to know the security works," Chris said, swinging the pack onto his shoulders.

"Will you be needing a lift to the portal? Listen to me I'm saying portal like it's a completely normal thing."

Chris chuckled and said, "It's fine. I have a lift of my own. You may all want to stand back though." Everyone retreated to the far side of the room. Chris smiled, unshed tears in his eyes. "See you all later." Then he closed his eyes and in a flash of bright blue light, vanished.

* * *

Twilight was having trouble concentrating. This was understandable, as the library was less quiet than it usually was. The repetitive drumming of hooves came from Rainbow Dash as she paced impatiently back and forth, waiting for Chris's return. Every now and then rainbow would take a breath and sit on the couch, visibly trying to relax. After a few seconds she would be out of the chair and pacing again.

Though, to be fair, Twilight was worried about Chris too. He'd been gone most of the day, longer than it should have taken him to buy one book. Maybe he'd gotten held up somewhere along the way? She knew he could take care of himself but still, she worried.

The library door opened and Chris's voice called out, "I'm back."

"Oh thank goodness," She said, putting down her book. "I was starting to get worried."

"I wasn't," Rainbow said, affecting nonchalance. "I knew you'd be fine. I was cool as ice."

Chris raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, instead collapsing on the couch and heaving a sigh.

Twilight tilted her head curiously. "How was your trip?" she asked.

"One of the most emotionally trying things I've ever done," Chris replied.

"… Did you meet your parents?"

Chris nodded. Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances and trotted to over to sit by him. "How are you doing?" Twilight asked.

Surprisingly Chris smiled with contentment. "I'm good. Better. Better than I've been in a long time."

"What happened?" asked Rainbow.

"We talked. That's it. We just… talked. I wish I'd tried that earlier."

"Really?" said Twilight.

"Well I also beat up a drunk guy but that's not important. Anyway!" Chris said, either missing or ignoring Twilight's look of shock. He pulled off his bag and opened it up, rummaging around. "Look at what I've got here." With a flourish he withdrew a book. Twilight and rainbow Dash leaned in, reading the title.

"Skulduggery Pleasant: The Dying of the Light," they chorused before breaking into identical squees. They both reached for it, only to have Chris yank it out of reach. "Ah-ah-ah. If anyone's going to be reading it first, it'll be me." The girls groaned. Chris waited for another moment before saying, "so I guess it's a good thing I bought you both a full set of the books." With a wave of his hand a number of books flew out of the bag, forming two identical piles on the floor.

"Eeeeeeeeee!" went Rainbow Dash and Twilight, prancing around with joy. Then Chris found himself wrapped in a double hug while they squealed, "thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!"

"You're welcome, you're welcome!" Chris laughed. "Now please let go you're suffocating me."

"I thought you were only going to buy one book," Twilight said after letting him go.

"I was going to, but the bookshop was selling all of them so I just thought 'what the hell'."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "So what else did you buy then?"

Chris held his bag open and looked in. "Uh, a few new video games, a t-shirt, a few more miscellaneous items. A toaster."

"… A toaster?"

Chris pulled it out of the bag to show that, yes it really was a toaster. "A toaster," he said.

"Right…"

"Wait, new video games?" Rainbow asked. "Can we have a go?"

Chris chuckled. "Maybe later Rainbow. For now I'm going to head home. It's been a long day."

"I imagine it has," Twilight said, picking up her new books in her magic. "You go get some rest Chris."

Chris nodded then paused, turning back to Twilight. "I just thought of something. It's silly, but I never told you my full name."

Twilight blinked, surprised. "You said you didn't want to use it anymore."

Chris nodded. "I did but… I think I can now. My name is Christopher Eden."

* * *

_Dear Celly_

_I've never written you one of these before have I? Well, here goes._

_Today I learnt something important about the deepest kind of friendship there is – the kind you share with your family. I learnt that sometimes you can love someone so much, and want so much for them, that it can lead you to doing things that hurt them, sometimes without you even realising. By being able to forgive and let go of the past I found that I do still love my family, deep in my heart. And now I can do my best to make things better between us._

_Always your friend,_

_Christopher Eden._

Chris read over the message one last time before sending it. He sighed. "What a day." He shook himself from his reverie and turned to his workroom. Unzipping his bag he reached in until his hand touched metal. He focused and a flash of light later a bright red Mini Cooper was sitting in the middle of the room.

"One of the 'miscellaneous items' I bought," he said to himself. Sure it was second hand and a little beat up, but it had been cheap. Besides, he needed a new hobby.

"Let's get to work," Chris said loudly, clapping his hands. The room's glyphs lit up, bathing the car in light. "It's time for a major upgrade."

* * *

**And that's it for dealing with Chris's emotional baggage for the time being. Next chapter will be all about Spike and his emotional baggage/identity issues. Stay tuned!**


	44. Chapter 44: Knowing Oneself Pt 1

**Hello everyone! I'm still alive and still writing. But with university and work I've been having trouble finding the time and inclination to write. I was going to make this chapter a little longer but I figured you'd all waited long enough and split it into two instead. Second part's still in the works but hopefully it'll be out a bit faster than this one. I'll do my best.**

**And also another big thank you to everyone who's favourited, followed, reviewed or even just read this story, and thanks for staying patient with it.**

**That's all I have to say. Let the chapter begin!**

* * *

Spike hummed quietly to himself as he walked around the library, picking up the books that were scattered all over.

"Thanks for helping me get the library cleaned up Chris," the young dragon said. Chris looked down at him from where he floated near the top shelves, more books in his arms.

"You're welcome," he said, sliding some of the books into place. "What happened anyway? Twilight isn't usually one to leave books lying around like this."

Spike rolled his eyes. "She was in one of her studying frenzies over the weekend. Then this morning she got a letter from Princess Celestia asking her to come to Canterlot. She was in such a hurry to leave that she forgot to clean up the library first."

"And so, here we are," Chris finished. Spike grinned and tossed a book to Chris, who deftly caught it. "Does Twilight leave you on your own very often?"

"Not really. But I'm still capable of looking after myself," Spike said, a little defensively.

"I know, I know," Chris chuckled. "But I still think of you as a kid sometimes, even though you're arguably more mature than Twilight."

"Aw, thanks," said Spike, blushing a bit. Then he frowned. "I'm not in too much of a hurry to grow up though. It's not a fun experience."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh right. You weren't here for the… 'Spike want' incident."

"… The what?"

"Well it all started on my birthday…"

* * *

"… And then I saw the fire ruby and just sort of snapped out of it," Spike finished. He and Chris had moved into the kitchen while he'd been telling his story, and were now sitting at the table with a cup of tea each.

"Wow,' Chris said. "That's pretty…"

"Scary?" Spike suggested.

"Actually I was going to say impressive but scary could be applied as well. So nothing like that has ever happened since?"

Spike shook his head. "No, I'm always careful not to get carried away now."

Chris nodded, understanding. "It's weird that even Twilight had no information on dragon growth stages though. Usually there's at least one book for her to look through."

"I know. Twilight and I actually looked through the entire library a few weeks after, but we couldn't find a single book at all on dragons."

"Hmm," Chris rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Have you thought about finding some other dragons to ask?"

"Yeah I did. That didn't go well," Spike said with a frown.

"Why? Couldn't find any?"

"Nah. This was during the Great Dragon Migration, so I was able to follow a big group of dragons."

"So what happened when you caught up to them?"

"I meet a group of teenage dragons. They started bullying me because I'm still pretty young."

"They don't sound like the best role models you could ever have," Chris said.

"Yeah, I know. But then I did a belly flop into a pool of lava-" Chris winced "-and they started liking me. Then they tried to get me to smash an unhatched phoenix egg."

"They did what?!"

"I know right?" Spike said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't actually go through with it though."

"I never thought for a second you would," Chris said, looking shocked and angry. "But that's still just plain wrong." He took a deep breath, then let it out. "So, you never got the answers you wanted after all that?"

Spike looked downcast as he shook his head again. "No. I mean, I feel a lot more secure in who I am, but I still have question about what it means to be a dragon."

"I can imagine," Chris said quietly. Then he smiled. "I might be able to help with that."

* * *

Garble yawned widely as he reclined against a rock. He was so bored today. Not far away some of the guys were arguing over whether topaz or opals tasted better. Garble didn't really like either of them very much. Amethysts were way better.

His eyes widened and he sat up a little straighter as he noticed something climbing down into the basin of the volcano. Form this distance it was hard to see the figure clearly, but it looked like it was as tall as Garble himself, with a jet black body and a pale head.

"Hey guys," Garble called to the others. "Take a look at this."

The others followed his pointing finger. Fume shaded his eyes with a claw. "Whaddya think it is?" he asked.

"Dunno," Garble said.

"Well why don't we go have a closer look?" Fizzle suggested.

"Good idea," Garble replied, stretching his wings out. "Let's go."

With that he took off, the rest of his gang following in his wake. They quickly gained altitude and started heading towards the small figure, who had reached the basin floor. As they drew closer Garble could make out more of the details, and realised he'd been a little wrong with his first impressions. The creature was walking upright like a dragon, but had no scales or wings to speak of, the jet black of its body actually being clothing, like ponies sometimes wore. Its face was flat, with pale skin and a golden-brown and pink mane.

_What the heck is it_, Garble thought to himself. Then he tilted himself forward into a dive, the others still following. His speed built as he hurtled towards the ground, before he pulled back sharply at the last minute, landing heavily enough to throw up a cloud of dust. The others formed a semi-circle around the strange creature as they landed. Yet this didn't seem to startle it. In fact for a moment Garble thought it was looking at him with utter contempt. Then it was gone as it smiled at him.

"Good morning," he said. Garble guessed it was a male anyway. "My name is Christopher Eden. Who might you be?"

"I'm Garble. I'm the one in charge around here."

Christopher looked surprised. Whether it was legitimate or mocking Garble couldn't quite tell. "Really? You seem pretty young to be in charge of all of these dragons."

Garble shifted uncomfortably, the creature having called his bluff. "Well… I didn't mean in charge of _all_ of them. I meant-."

"Oh," Christopher said, looking shocked. "Did you mean you're in charge of this pathetic rabble of bullies and cowards who pick on those weaker than themselves?"

The sentence was said so fast and in such a light, friendly tone that it took a few seconds for it to register. A collective growl went around the group and they closed in on the interloper, looming over him.

"What did you say?" Garble asked, a threatening malice in his voice. Chris raised an eyebrow, the smile disappearing.

"If you're expecting me to start cowering then I'm going to have to disappoint you."

This gave Garble pause for a moment. This Christopher's calm confidence was unnerving. Then he remembered it was six on one. All the advantages lay with him and his gang.

"Get him!" He roared. The dragons leapt and Chris smiled.

_Six teenage dragons versus me_, he thought. _A curb stomp if ever there was one._

Chris jumped back, landing lightly as the teenagers crashed into a heap where he'd been standing. The skinny purple one was the first one up and he charged with a fist pulled back. Chris stepped in as he threw the punch, blocking it before snapping out a jab to his solar plexus. The dragon doubled over as the air rushed out of his lungs, his chin presenting the perfect target for Chris's follow up left cross. He hit the ground, dazed and confused, as the brown one came forward and spun, using his mace-like tail as a weapon. Chris skipped back, out of the tail's range, then shot forward and jumped, snapping out a kick into the hinge of the dragon's jaw. He dropped like a brick and Chris landed in a crouch. The white one stepped in, aiming a kick at Chris's jaw. Chris blocked it and grabbed his ankle, stepping back as he rose. The dragon was pulled off balance and stumbled forward, his chin having an intimate meeting with Chris's elbow. As the white one toppled over the grey one and the fatter purple one ran at him from either side. Chris's left hand glowed and he brought it round in a wide sweep, the purple one running face first into a wall of energy. He turned back to the grey one, who looked like he was trying to head-butt him. A solid ball of energy formed around his fist as he drew back. When he judged the moment to be right he stepped forward, putting his weight behind the strike as his fist shot forward. It met the dragon's head with a shattering concussion, flipping him onto his back, where he lay still.

Garble stared in shock as Chris shook his hand out and looked over at him. "Anything else you want to say, Garble?"

Before Garble could respond a deeper, more powerful voice cut across him. "That will do," it said. Garble turned and looked up at the huge, black scaled dragon walking towards them. Despite his immense size he moved quietly. His red eyes moved from the young dragon to the unfamiliar creature surrounded by the immobile forms of Garble's friends.

"And who might you be?" he rumbled.

"My name is Christopher Eden," he said.

"Where do you come from, Christopher Eden? I have never seen a creature of your ilk before."

"Understandable. I come from another world, though these days I reside in Ponyville."

At the mention of the town Garble let out a derisive snort. Chris raised an eyebrow at him. "Something funny?" he asked, the warning in his voice unmistakeable. Garble shrank a little and shook his head. "Good. Now shut up."

"So," the great black dragon said, regaining the conversation. "What is it that brings you here? Or are you merely seeking battle?" Though his tone was severe he had been watching the altercation from the start, and was secretly impressed with the skill and fire this Christopher had shown.

Chris snorted. "If I was deliberately looking for a fight I think I'd look for something a bit more challenging than these idiots."

For a moment there was silence as Garble fumed impotently. Then the black threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Well put little one. Well put indeed," he said, his laughter dying down to a rumbling chuckle. Then he lowered his head to Chris's eye level and said, "I am Singe, the eldest of this Gathering. What is it that I may do for you?"

"I assume eldest means you're in charge."

"In a manner of speaking. Each dragon is his or her own, not beholden to any other. However my age gives me experience and wisdom that others seek to benefit from, and so they come to me seeking advice and leadership."

"Excellent, because advice and leadership is exactly what I'm after," said Chris. "I have a friend in Ponyville, a young dragon named Spike-."

Garble couldn't help himself. "Ha! That little pipsqueak," he said.

"INTERRUPT MY STORY AGAIN GARBLE!" Chris roared, hands glowing threateningly. "SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" Wisely, Garble shut up and tried to be as small as possible.

"Anyway," Chris continued, "Spike was raised by ponies, so naturally he has some identity issues. There's also a lot of things about dragons that he doesn't know."

"And you would like me to teach him these things?" Singe asked. Chris nodded.

"If you're willing. Spike's already tried to come here for help with those sort of things. Unfortunately _someone_," Chris shot an icy look at Garble, "led him to believe that dragons smash phoenix eggs for fun."

"What?" Singe rumbled ominously, swinging his head to Garble. The younger dragon shrank away from the piercing gaze, which was answer enough for the elder. "I will deal with you and your gang later," he decided. Then he turned back to Chris. "I will be glad to help your friend with his troubles, as a way of making up for whatever damage Garble may have caused."

Chris inclined his head. "Thank you. I'll ask Spike if he wants to come, and if he does I'll bring him here in a week. Sound good to you?"

"Indeed. Fair winds to you, Christopher Eden."

"To you as well," Chris said, before turning and walking away. As he reached the rim of the volcano he heard Singe's thundering voice as he shouted at Garble.

* * *

**You**** know, if I didn't know better I'd say Chris didn't like Garble. Anyone else getting that vibe?**


	45. Chapter 45: Knowing Oneself Pt 2

"… I've packed you some gems as well, they're in the front pocket. Oh I should pack a scarf, just in case you get cold. And some medicine in case you _catch_ a cold."

"Twilight."

"A book too, you never know when you'll get bored."

"Twilight."

"Do you think you'll need to take a gift for the other dragons? What if-."

"Twilight!"

"Huh?" Twilight spun, startled out of her frantic pacing. Spike raised an eyebrow at her and gestured at the bulging pack that stood twice as tall as he did. Twilight chuckled. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little worried."

"A little?" Spike said to himself.

"It's just, you're going off all alone. What if something happens and you're not prepared for it? What if-."

"Twilight, it's going to be fine," Spike said. "I'll stay with the dragons for a bit then come back. It'll be fine."

"I know, I know," Twilight said, pulling Spike into a hug. "I just don't know what I'd do without you." Spike blushed and giggled, returning the hug. Then there was a knock at the door.

"I detect high levels of sap," came Chris's voice. "Is it safe for me to enter the room?"

Twilight and Spike separated, Twilight rolled her eyes and called, "You can come in Chris."

The door opened and Chris walked in with a grin. "How are things going? Ready to head off Spike?"

"I think so," the young dragon replied. "Do you think I'll need to bring anything?"

Chris thought for a moment then shook his head. "You should be fine."

"Then yeah, I'm ready." Spike suddenly realised that he was nervous. It was fine talking about doing it, but now that the moment had actually arrived an unexpected reluctance came over him. What if the other dragons laughed at him again? What if they didn't like him? He was shaken from his reverie when Twilight laid a hoof on his shoulder and pulled him into another quick hug.

"You'll be fine," she said. "Now go on. Singe will be waiting for you."

Spike nodded and took a deep breath, following Chris out of the library. He turned at the door and gave Twilight a wave, before closing it behind him.

"So how are we getting there?" Spike asked Chris as they walked along the street.

"A series of long distance teleports," Chris answered. "Last time I had to fly around for hours before I found the volcano. I still haven't completely memorised the location so I'm going to have to get my bearings between each jump. Here we go."

They'd stopped in the middle of the park, next to the lake. "Now stay close and hold tight," Chris said. Spike nodded and shuffled a little closer. Chris closed his eyes and started focusing his magic. The light around his hands grew to a blinding intensity as a dull humming started and a dome of whirling blue stars encased the two. Then there was a flash of light, a muffled boom, and they were gone, leaving only a patch of scorched grass.

* * *

FWAM!

Spike blinked rapidly, trying to clear the imprint left over from the flash. When he could see again he noticed that they were now standing in a forest. The trees weren't as gnarled as the ones in the Everfree though. It looked more like Whitetail Woods.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"About halfway between Ponyville and Canterlot," Chris answered, shaking his hands. "That's warm. Hope I don't end up with spell burn after this."

"Wow," Spike said to himself, marvelling at the distance they'd travelled. "Why doesn't Twilight use this spell more often?"

"A couple of reason, I'd imagine. It takes a lot of effort and concentration, not to mention you also have to know exactly where you're going. But she probably just doesn't need to. Her short range teleport works better for her purposes. Ready to keep going?"

Spike nodded. "Yep."

* * *

FWAM!

"Whoa!" Spike cried as he started to fall, still unable to see. Then something caught him under the arms, holding him in the air.

"Sorry," Chris said as Spike's vision cleared. The two of them were floating just off the edge of a cliff, high above the very hard looking ground. "That's another problem with this sort of teleport. Sometimes you miss."

"Please don't let go," Spike replied.

* * *

FWAM!

Every dragon bristled as the muffled explosion shattered the relative peace of the volcano. Singe reared up, ready to unleash an inferno, before realising who it was.

"Ah, young Christopher," he said as he relaxed, lowering his head to Chris's eye level. "Greetings once again." It was only then that he noticed the small purple dragon staring up at him in awe. _Very young indeed_, he thought. _Not much more than a hatchling_. "Greetings to you as well, Spike. I am Singe."

Spike tried a smile, though he suspected it came out a little queasy. "Uh, hello Mister Singe, sir. It's nice to meet you."

Singe held his cool, level gaze. Spike gulped. Then Singe chuckled gently, a wry smile splitting his muzzle. "You need not be so nervous, Young One. Though in truth such politeness is a refreshing change."

Spike blushed a little from the praise, but one thing rankled slightly. "I'm not _that_ young," he mumbled.

Singe's grin widened. "Aha! And he has fire in him as well! Excellent." He turned his great head to Chris. "He will do well, I think. When shall you return to collect him?"

Chris shrugged. "Whenever he's ready. Send me a message when you're ready to come home, 'kay?" he said to Spike. The young dragon nodded.

"Tell Twilight I'll be home soon," Spike said.

Chris smiled. "I'll be sure to-." At that moment he was interrupted by a fast, jaunty tune. Pulling out his phone, he smiled when he saw who it was, and answered. "Hey Celly. What's up?" There was the sound of someone talking quickly and quietly on the other end of the line. Chris's smile widened. "Really? You want me to…? Alright then. I'll be there soon. Hang in there." Chris hung up, still grinning.

"What was that about?" Spike asked.

"It seems that the Princess wants a way out of her meeting with the Nobles Committee. So I'm off to rescue her."

"How are you going to do that?"

Chris shrugged. "Probably by bursting into the meeting room and shouting something about the end of the world. I dunno, I'll think of something. You have fun now."

Spike waved as Chris shot into the air and flew off in the direction of Canterlot.

"Come, Young One," Singe rumbled. "I believe we have much to discuss."

* * *

"Dragons are among the oldest of all creatures that walk this earth," Singe said, lying by a pool of bubbling lava. Spike sat next to him, enjoying the heat on his scales and listening intently. "The first dragons were creatures of incredible will and magic. Their power was such that the sun and moon would move simply because they wished them to."

"Whoa," said Spike. "I thought that a load of unicorns had to raise the sun."

"And they did, before the reign of the Two Sisters. But I am speaking of an age long before even then. Ponies were a young race, with none of the magic they have now. But they lived and thrived, and the ancient dragons kept watch over the world."

"So what happened?"

Singe shrugged. "What always happens, time passed. Over many ages most of the dragons' magic left them and spread to the other races of the world. From this the pegasi and griffons gained their control over the skies and the weather, the earth ponies gained their strength and connection to the earth, and the unicorns and seaponies gained control of a purer form of magic."

Spike frowned. "Seaponies?"

Singe nodded. "Masters of the sea. Their magic allows them to control the waves and currents of the ocean to an unmatched degree."

"Huh," said Spike. "I've never heard of them before."

"Understandable. Very few of them venture on land for extended periods of time."

Spike mulled this over as another question occurred to him. "What about changelings? Where did they come from?"

"Hmm. That is a mystery even to the dragons. Changelings are naturally secretive and difficult to find. Very little is known about them. It could be that they were once ponies that become what they are now by feeding on the emotions of others. It could be that they were always the way they are now. We may never know the answer."

Spike was silent for a moment. "It may be because I grew up with Twilight," he said slowly, "but know I really want to know more about changelings."

Singe gave an approving growl. "That is good, to be curious about the world around you. There are many great mysteries out there yet to solve."

* * *

"This is Glint," said Singe. "She has agreed to instruct you in how we dragons use magic."

Spike looked up at the tall teenage dragoness. She was slender and sleek, with deep blue scales glittering pale eyes. And, Spike caught himself thinking, she was very pretty.

"Hello Spike," Glint said.

"Hi," Spike replied, painfully aware of his rising blush. Glint either didn't notice or tactfully refrained from mentioning anything.

"I shall leave you alone," Singe said. "I have matters that need attending to."

"So, how much do you know about dragon magic?" Glint asked as Singe left.

"Not much," Spike admitted. "I know that I can send letters and things by flaming them, but that's about it."

Glint's eyes widened slightly. "You can flame-send? That's quite impressive. For most dragons it takes decades, if not centuries, to be able to focus their magic like that."

"Well I grew up with Twilight," Spike said, blushing harder from the praise. "She's a unicorn who's super talented at magic. Maybe some of it sort of… rubbed off on me."

Glint thought for a moment. "It's entirely possible," she agreed. "But something to investigate at a later date. For now though, can you tell me how your flame-send works?"

"I'm… not sure," Spike admitted. "I just picture who I want to send the letter to, or where I want it to go, and then I just breathe fire on it and it goes."

Glint nodded. "That's a basic description of how dragon magic works. A unicorn will cast spells using a matrix to shape their magic into the proper form. For dragons it's much more instinctual. We push our will into our magic, and our magic becomes fire. For instance, I can imbue my fire with cold." In saying this she turned to the pool of lava they stood next to, inhale deeply, and exhaled a wave of rippling white flame. It hit the lava and spread outwards, covering a good portion of the pool. Glint cut off the flame and Spike's eyes widened in surprise. Everywhere the fire had touched was frozen, the lava solidified to stone. There was even a thin coating of frost over some parts.

"Whoa! That's awesome!"

Glint smiled. "Thanks. Would you like to give it a go?"

"Oh, uh, okay. So I just think of cold?"

"Yes. Think of the coldest thing you possibly can and let that thought sink into your fire. Then, when the moment feels right, release it."

Spike nodded and closed his eyes. _What's the coldest thing I can think of? Ice? Maybe winter? Actually the first time we were up at the Crystal Empire. Now _that_ was cold._ Spike focused on that memory, the oppressive, all-encompassing cold that seeped through his scales and into his bones. A tingle grew at the back of his throat, just like when he sent a letter. He took a deep breath in and it felt like a blizzard was collecting in his chest. Then he released, a thin jet of flame splashing against the lava, which hardened almost instantly.

"Excellent Spike," Glint said, impressed with what the little dragon had done. "That was really-." She broke off and held in a laugh as she caught sight of Spike. His mouth was hanging open, his eyes were wide and he was panting for breath. "Maybe next time take it a bit easier," she suggested.

"Yeah," Spike croaked.

* * *

"Singe, I was wondering something," Spike began. "Why don't I have wings?"

"You are still very young by our standards Spike," Singe said, not unkindly. "Your wings will grow, but it will take time."

"But even when I… grew up… I didn't have wings."

Singe tilted his head slightly. "Grew up?"

"Yeah there was this… thing that happened on my last birthday. My friends all got me presents and it was really nice, but then I started to get greedy and hoarding everything and..." Spike took a deep breath while Singe looked sympathetic.

"In ponies the fires of love and harmony often burn the brightest," the elder dragon rumbled. "But in dragons it is desire that we feel most often. Even the oldest and wisest of dragons can succumb to it if they are not careful."

Spike nodded. That sentence made something niggle at the back of his mind, but for the moment he continued his story. "According to Zecora the greed was causing me to mature. I grew really big and ended up losing control. I don't remember much of it, but from what everypony told me later on I didn't have wings then either, so I was wondering if I would ever actually…"

"Grow wings?" Singe finished. Spike nodded, looking embarrassed. "Of course you will, Young One. Every dragon grows wings in time. It may be several decades before yours emerge though. Remember, dragons are a very long lived race. We can live for millennia or longer. As such it takes very long time for a hatchling to develop. One thing I am not sure of, however, is this sudden growth you mentioned. I have never heard of anything like this before. It could be that your mature mental state was at odds with your physically young body. Then, when your desire took hold, your magic must have tried to make your body fit better to your… Spike? Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Spike said with a start. A strange look had come over him, the kind that accompanies a sudden and horrible realisation. "Oh, it's nothing. I just thought of something." The young drake gave a hollow smile.

"Hmm. Perhaps we should continue this another time. You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"Um, yeah. A-a bit."

* * *

Garble ground his teeth as he watched Singe and the pipsqueak talking. Having the little runt here was infuriating, even more so because of all the attention he was being given.

After the weird creature – Chris that was his name – had left Singe had given Garble and his gang a major dressing down, complete with threats and creative punishments. He'd then expressly forbidden all of them from interfering with the pipsqueak's lessons in any way. So here they all were, sitting in a cave overlooking the basin and collectively seething.

"This is so not fair," Garble growled.

"We know," Clump said.

"I mean, what's so special about that runt anyway? He was raised by ponies for flame's sake!"

"You've said," Fume pointed out.

"You could hardly even call him a dragon-."

"Garble," Fizzle interrupted. "We've had this conversation something like thirty times in the last two days."

Garble groaned to himself. "I know, I know. It just rankles me." He flopped back onto the ground and grabbed up a ruby, chewing it moodily. "And we can't even do anything about it. I think I'm gonna die of boredom any day now." He sighed as the others made noises of general agreement. "What we really need," Garble said, "is a way to get back at the runt."

"How? Singe will do his nut if he sees us anywhere near him," Vex pointed out.

Then, as though answering the question, a paper plane floated through the entrance to the cave. Everyone's eyes followed it as it circled near the top of the cave, before floating down and landing lightly next to Garble. Everyone stared. Then Garble picked it up and unfolded it. Written in graceful, curling letters was a simple message.

_Why not burn down Ponyville?_

A wicked smile curled Garble's muzzle. "Guys," he said. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

Spike was sitting next to one of the many lava pools in the volcano, staring into the middle distance. He started slightly as Singe settled next to him. There was silence for a long moment.

"There is much disquiet in your mind today, Young One," Singe said. Spike nodded slowly.

"Yeah," he said. "I've got a lot on my mind." Singe waited and Spike continued. "It's about what you said yesterday. Or, a couple of things you said yesterday. About how dragons can live for… a really long time. So does that mean… my friends in Ponyville…?"

Singe looked at him sadly. "I'm afraid so. One day you will indeed outlive them. Such is the curse of the longest lived races."

"I… I don't know what I'd do without them."

"You have many years yet to figure that out. Do not dwell on the future, Spike, but live in the present. And do not forget, you shall always have the young Princess Twilight."

Spike looked confused for a moment. "What do you…? Oh, yeah. She's an alicorn. So that means… she'll live for a long time too?"

Singe nodded. "And I do not doubt that she will rely on you for many centuries yet to come."

Spike looked a little gratified. But there was still something… "There something else," he said. "The other thing you said. About how dragons feel greed more than love. There's this mare in Ponyville, named Rarity. And I have a, uh, sort of… crush on her." Spike could feel his cheeks burning. "And I was wondering…"

"You were wondering whether this was actual love, or simply a passing desire." Singe finished. Spike hesitated, then nodded. "I'm afraid that is not something I think I can answer. Love is a complex thing. All I could suggest is to go slowly. A desire will fade over time, but true love will burn forever."

Spike was quiet for a while as he mulled that over. Then he said, "Thanks Singe."

"For what?"

"Pretty much everything."

Singe smiled. "It was my pleasure, Young One."

And for a while they simply sat in companionable silence.

* * *

The shadows were growing long when another dragon landed next to Singe. He was large with deep emerald scales. "Singe, I've been looking for you," he said, his voice deep and rich.

"What is it Splint?" Singe asked.

"Garble and his friends are missing. No one has seen them since yesterday, so I went and checked the cave where they've been loitering. They weren't there, but I did find this." He held out a piece of paper. Singe took it carefully, the paper tiny in comparison to his claws. His eyes narrowed as he read the message.

"They wouldn't dare," he growled.

"What is it?" Spike asked. Singe passed the paper to him and addressed Splint.

"Are you sure they aren't anywhere else?" Splint nodded.

"Definitely. I've spent the last few hours searching for them and there's not sign anywhere."

Spike's eyes widened as he read the message.

_They're going to burn down Ponyville! Ponies are going to get hurt._

Then anger started to replace horror.

_They're going to burn down Ponyville._

_They're going to burn down __**MY town.**_

_**They're going to hurt **__**MY friends!**_

_**My friends!**_

_**MINE!**_

Singe thought quickly. They needed a solution, now. Hopefully it wasn't too late. Then a deep, drawn out growl disturbed his train of thought. He looked down at Spike, at the rage written all over the little dragon's face and the pupils contracted to slits. _Actually,_ he thought to himself, _I think the problem might be about to solve itself_.

* * *

Garble couldn't stop the grin from spreading as he and his gang crept closer to the houses of Ponyville under the cover of darkness. None of the other dragons had any idea where they'd gone, and by the time anyone realised they were missing they probably already be back with the gathering.

Garble's grin widened further. Payback on the runt _and_ on those stupid, interfering ponies. He stopped and the others crowded around him, waiting for orders.

"Alright," he said, "here's what we do."

Then something huge dropped out of the sky with an earth-shattering crash. The teenage dragons scrambled back with a collective shout of terror and stared up at the dragon in front of them. It was as big as Singe at least, with wings that blotted out the sky. Its purple scales were like armour and the row of green spines that ran down its back were razor sharp. Green eyes burning with fury stared down the dragons that had dared to attack its home.

Spike drew a deep breath, then let loose an almighty roar of, "**MIIIIIINE!**" The teenagers scattered like leaves before a hurricane. Spike watched them through narrowed eyes as they fled.

"S… Spike?" came a disbelieving voice from behind him. He swung his head round, wondering what interloper would even dare to come near his horde, a caught sight of a pony. A purple pony. With a horn and wings.

Twilight.

There was a pop and, in a way that utterly violated the Law of Conservation of Mass, Spike shrank back to his vastly less terrifying regular self.

"Uh Twilight? What just happ-urk!" Spike suddenly found the air being squeezed out of his lungs as Twilight scooped him up in a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh Spike I was so worried!" The alicorn cried as Spike struggled to breath. "For a second I thought something had gone wrong and why are you back anyway? Did something happen? Was Singe nice?"

"Twi… light… crushing… lungs…"

"Hmm? Oh! Oh sorry Spike," Twilight released the little dragon, who took a grateful gasp of air. "I'm just really glad you're ok. But what are you doing here? And what was with the whole… Spike-zilla mode?"

"I'm not really sure… Oh wait! Are you guys ok? Garble was gonna burn down Ponyville!"

"He was going to what?" Twilight asked. Then there was a bright flash of blue light and Chris appeared in his pyjamas.

"Wha's goin' on?" he asked blearily, clearly mostly asleep. "I heard loud noises and…" he stopped and peered owlishly at Spike. "Spike? Why didn't you send a message? I could have… have…" he let loose a jaw cracking yawn, "picked you up." Then he frowned in tired confusion. "How did you actually get here?"

Spike and Twilight exchanged a look. "Maybe you should start from the beginning."

"I'll make the coffee," Chris offered.

* * *

Garble and his gang shivered in fear under the frigid gaze of Chris. He hadn't said a word since he'd arrived with Spike and Twilight. He'd just glared at them. It felt like all the malice in the world was crushing down on them.

"I am most sorry for what Garble was intending to do, Princess Twilight," Singe said.

"It's alright," Twilight assured him. "No harm was done in the end, thanks to Spike."

Singe grinned. "Indeed. I am quite impressed, Young One."

"It didn't really have much to do with me," Spike said. "I don't really remember it anyway."

"It was your heart, your love for your friends, which gave you that power. It had everything to do with you." Spike beamed. "What will you do now? Do you think you're ready to go home?"

Spike thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am. Thanks again for everything. And tell Glint thanks for me too."

Singe bowed his head. "I shall. And do not forget that you are welcome here any time. Fare winds to you, Young One."

Spike smiled. "And the sun on your scales, Mister Singe."

Singe chuckled lightly as Chris re-joined the group. There was a moment of discussion between him and Twilight before they all vanished in a flash of purple light.

* * *

**Two days later.**

Celestia, Luna, Chris and Twilight all stood at the desk in Celestia's personal study. Celestia and Twilight had a cup of tea each, while Luna and Chris had chosen coffee. On the desk was a rock and two pieces of paper. One was the message Garble had been sent, and the other was the incident report from the avalanche that had wrecked the railway lines between Ponyville and Canterlot.

"There's no way these are coincidences," Chris stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"This message to the young dragons is far more blatant than the rock or the avalanche," said Luna. "Could the perpetrator be growing reckless?"

"Maybe more confident. Or they feel the need for secrecy is at an end," Celestia suggested.

"Or they could be different ponies," Twilight pointed out. "The modes of operation are different enough."

"I don't think so," Chris said. "The message and the tampering on the rock were wiped of any magic signature. It takes an incredible amount of discipline, not to mention magic, to do that. And the report says that no magic trace was found at the avalanche site."

"So we know that it was probably one pony," Luna said. "But we don't know who, or why."

"So what do we do?" Chris asked Celestia.

"We keep our eyes and ears open," Celestia said. "And hope that we can catch them in the act."

* * *

**Oh my god it's been a while. I know I said that I was going to have this one out a lot sooner, and I really did want to. Unfortunately I underestimated how much time Uni studies were going to take up. So yeah, for the time being I'm probably not going to be releasing new chapters very fast at all. And for those waiting on the next chapter of Doctor's Angel, I promise it's in the works.**

**Anyway, a lot of developments in this chapter, not least in Spike himself. Not sure which chapter I'm going to write next. I have lots of ideas. I'm just not sure which order to put them in.**

**Review, favourite, follow, tell your friends and don't drop the banana.**


	46. Chapter 46

**46.1 Die With A T**

It was, Celestia reasoned, only natural. She'd been the sole ruler of Equestria for a thousand years after she'd had to banish Luna. Before that she'd never quite realised just how much time, energy and, most importantly, paperwork went into keeping her country afloat in the sea of international relations. And with all the extra work came all the extra stress, and with all the extra stress came all the stress eating.

So it was only natural, Celestia reasoned as she critiqued her figure in the bedroom mirror, that she'd become a little… large in the barge. Even now that Luna was back and Celestia's workload had halved, she still hadn't broken out of her stress snacking habits. Maybe now was the perfect time to try another diet.

There was a polite knock on the door, and one of the kitchen staff, China Platter, came in, wheeling a trolley with a plate and a slice of cake. China then bowed out of the room, leaving Celestia alone with a slice of chocolate hazelnut fudge cake, with a plump strawberry and a drizzle of strawberry sauce on top. Celestia stared at it.

_I'll start after this one last piece_, she reasoned, licking her lips and readying her fork.

* * *

Luna was just starting her dinner (creamy mushroom soup with toasted ciabatta and a slice of carrot cake for dessert) when Celestia walked in with a smile.

"Good morning sister," Luna said.

"Morning Lulu. How was the night?"

"Peaceful thankfully. No owlbears this time. Though I did see a couple out on a romantic evening stroll." Luna giggled. "The stallion was blushing so hard he practically glowed."

Celestia chuckled as she made herself some oatmeal and added a hearty helping of sliced apple. She sat at the table opposite Luna as China Platter rolled another trolley with another slice of cake into the room.

"Oh, thank you China," Celestia said. "But I won't be having any cake today."

It took Celestia a few moments to notice that the room had gone very quiet following that announcement. Looking up from her oatmeal she saw that both Luna and China were staring at her.

"Are you… feeling well, sister?" Luna asked after a moment.

"Fit as a fiddle. Why?"

"It's just, well… you've never turned down cake before."

Celestia smiled. "Oh it's nothing to worry about. I just thought I'd try going on a diet." She glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped. "Oh dear, I think I slept in. Almost time for Morning Court." She didn't seem to notice the way Luna was staring at her as she shovelled oatmeal into her mouth.

"Right," Celestia said, washing her breakfast down with some orange juice. "Must dash. Sleep tight Luna."

_Well that wasn't too hard,_ Celestia thought to herself as she exited the room. _Even if that cake smelled absolutely amazing._

Luna stared after her sister for a moment, then said, "Er… China?"

"Yes Princess?"

"Did Celestia just say she was… going on a diet?"

"I believe so Princess."

"Oh good. I was wondering whether I was hearing things."

* * *

Luna was… not quite worried, but definitely concerned. It had been a week since Celestia had begun her diet, and her behaviour had become a bit… erratic felt like the wrong word. Strange, certainly. From cake she'd gone on to refuse cereal, toast, coffee, and milk in her tea. Every meal they'd had together Celly had had only a light salad with a glass of water.

And just a few minutes ago Luna had been woken from her sleep by an odd rhythmic squeaking. Following the sound to her sister's bedroom, she'd been… surprised to find her dressed in a bright pink lycra leotard, sweatbands around her forehead and each hoof, jogging on a treadmill. Luna stared in shock until Celestia noticed her.

"Oh… hi… Lulu," she puffed. "I… had an hour spare… and… I thought I'd… get… some… exercise in. You know… work up a sweat."

"Er… right," Luna said. "I'll… I'll just go back to bed now."

"Okay. Have a… good sleep. See you… tonight."

Lune left, eyes wide in confusion, with Celestia muttering something about 'feeling the burn'.

Okay. Now she was very concerned.

[BREAK]

It had been another week, and Luna was now officially worried. Celestia's regime of diet and exercise hadn't waned in the slightest. If anything she'd become even more manic about it. That wasn't the worst of it though. Most of the other ponies around the castle hadn't noticed it, because Celestia seemed for all the world to be the serene, graceful ruler of Equestria that she'd always been. But Luna knew her sister far better than any of them. She could see the blankness in her eyes. She could feel the hollowness behind that mask of serenity. And she knew what was coming.

Celestia was going to snap. And she was going to snap hard.

Discreetly, quietly, Luna started putting plans in place.

* * *

Celestia's eye twitched slightly as she looked into her bedroom mirror. Three weeks. It had been three weeks since she'd gone on her diet. Three weeks of nothing but salad and water and exercising any moment she got. And after all that effort, her figure hadn't changed in the slightest.

Her eye twitched again as the repressed memories of her day came back to her. Zoning laws. Nobles. Two social appearances. Endless stacks of forms.

Celestia's eye twitched.

* * *

Luna was busy reading over plans for a new observatory when the sound of galloping hooves interrupted her. The doors to the throne room burst open and one of her Night Guard rushed in, sliding to a halt before her throne and bowing.

"Your Majesty," he said, "we have a Code Cake."

Luna was frozen on her throne for a moment. Then she leapt up and out, a blur of blue that shot through the doors and down the hall, leaving her Night Guard to explain things to the confused architect.

Luna shot down the corridors, taking corners at breakneck pace with carefully timed wing beats. She slowed as she neared Celly's rooms, passing a pair of nervous looking Night Guards keeping watch. Already she could hear sobbing and sniffling from thee other side of the doors, and upon opening them she was faced with the sight she'd been afraid she would see.

Celestia lay full length on her bed, her mane lying still and lifeless. The floor between the door and the bed was littered with plates, all bearing the signs of recent use. Surrounding Celestia on the bed were even more plates, these ones laden with cake of every description. A fork was floating in Celestia's golden aura, and was busy shovelling cake into the Day Princess's maw while she wailed and sobbed.

"Tia," Luna sighed, picking her way carefully across the room. With a flash of blue light the plates were lifted from the floor and stacked neatly in a corner. "Come now Tia, you're making a disgrace of yourself."

Celestia swallowed her mouthful of cake and kept sobbing.

"So you fell off the wagon," Luna continued, patting her sister consolingly. "You can start your diet again tomorrow."

"NO!" Celestia shrieked. "I can't take it! All the stress, the never-ending demands, all the meetings. I can't live without cake! But - but," fresh tears dripped down Celestia's face. "I'm so faaaat!" Luna jerked back as Celestia shoved her rump at her, pointing at it with a hoof. "Lookit!" she wailed with wide, delirious eyes. "My butt is so fat! Everypony's going to call me Princess Fatty, and then they're going to laugh at me, and force me to abdicate, and - and - and-."

Luna arched an eyebrow as Celestia dissolved into fresh sobs. "Tia. Tia listen to me. Blow your nose." A quickly conjured handkerchief and blast of the Royal Nose Trumpet later, Celestia had calmed down the level of 'tears and the occasional hiccup'. "You are not fat," Luna said, slowly and clearly. "No one is going to call you names or laugh at you. Your subjects will love you no matter how voluptuous your figure." Luna was getting into her stride now. "Why, I remember a time when a mare having a large posterior was considered the height of fashion."

Whatever reaction she'd been expecting following that declaration, it probably wasn't to have Celestia's lip tremble before she burst into yet more tears.

"SEE!," she nearly shrieked. "Even you think my butt's fat! I'm gonna be called Princess Fatty by everypony!"

Luna sighed. "Well that go as planned," she muttered to herself. "May as well just let her get it out of her system."

And so Luna waited as Celestia lay on her bed and wailed unintelligibly. Occasionally Luna caught the words 'Princess Fatty' again. For lack of anything else to do she gathered up all the used dishes and put them on a conjured trolley, asking on the guards outside to take them down to the kitchens.

And then Luna waited some more. Whenever she thought Tia was about to calm down she'd get a second wind and start crying all over again. Luna had never had the legendary patience of her sister, and the ceaseless sobbing was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Oh for the love of me!" she shouted after a solid ten minutes of Celestia ranting about how she'd be stuck in her throne by her humongous butt. "I've heard enough. Come with me." Celestia yelped as Luna grabbed her with her magic and dragged her off the bed, out of the room and down the hall.

"Lulu! Where are we going?"

"To the Royal Kitchens!" Luna said grandly. Celestia whimpered but Luna didn't notice. She had an idea on how to get Celly out of her funk.

* * *

Vanilla Top, or to give him his full name Vanilla Ice Cream With A Cherry On Top, was proud to call himself the head chef of the Royal Canterlot Kitchens. It had been his talent at creating sweet treats that had first drawn the eye of the Princess, and he'd proudly continued to serve her ever since he was first hired.

These days, though, he wasn't making nearly as many cakes as he'd like. The Princess's obsession with dieting had meant most of the meals coming from the kitchen had been some variation of salad. And there was only so much one could do with salad.

Vanilla was broken from his ruminating when the door burst open and Luna strode through, dragging a bedraggled Celestia with her magic. Before anypony could ask a single question, the sound of guitars playing came from nowhere. Luna released Celestia and strutted into the middle the room with a great smile.

"Yeah!" she sang. "Well, well. Aww, yeah-yeah!"

"_Bring on that pecan pie!  
Pour some sugar, only sugar, don't be shy.  
Scoop me out a mess of that chocolate swirl!  
Don't be stingy I'm a growin' girl."_

The cooks in the kitchen were grooving along with Luna as the music took them, whipping up all manner of sweet treats.

"_I offer big love with no apology.  
How can I deny the world the most of me?  
I am not afraid to throw my weight around.  
Pound by pound by pound."_

Celly squirmed in her chair as cakes and pies were passed around, and Luna reared up and threw her forehooves into the air.

"_Because I'm big, bold and beautiful.  
Face the fact it's simply irrefutable.  
No one wants a meal that only offers the least,  
When girl we're serving up the whole damn feast."_

The cooks kept dancing and baking as the music quietened slightly and Luna made her way over to Celestia.

"See Tia?" she asked. "Everypony loves you way too much to make fun of you, and they certainly won't make you abdicate. No matter what you do or what you eat, everypony's going to love you."

Celestia gazed around at the cooks as they jived to the beat, mixing up batters and rolling out pastries. Her resolve to diet started to waver, and Luna noticed it.

"Come now dear sister," Luna said. "Won't you have a little slice… of cake?" She held up a dish with a slice of cake. Celestia eyed the cake and licked her lips. The last of her resistance crumbled and she got to her hooves with a grin, making the plate in her magic.

"Woah-oah-oh, oh-oh-oh!" The cooks sang as Celestia joined in.

"_Slice me off a piece of the hog-head cheese.  
And take a look inside my book of recipes."_

"_Now don't you stick around for something fluffy and light," _Luna sang.  
_"We need a mare who brings a mare sized-."_

"_**APPETITE!"**_

"_Yeah, use a pinch of sugar and a dash of spice.  
I'll let you lick the spoon because it tastes so nice."_

"_Keep it in the oven 'til it's good and hot," Celestia belted.  
"Keep on stirring 'til it hits the spot."_

"'_Cause I'm big, bold and beautiful," _Celly and Luna chorused.  
_"There is nothing 'bout it that's unsuitable."_

"_Why sit in the bleachers, timid and afraid?" _Celly asked.

"_When Celly you look like the __**whole parade!"**_

"_They say that slight is right and thin is in, well that's just bull.  
'Cause ladies big is back and all of us we're __**beautiful!  
**__No shapes and sizes bother me  
Who wants a twig when you can climb the whole tree?"_

"_HELL YEAH!  
YEAH-YEAH-YEAH-YEAH!"_

"_Oh yeaaaaaaaah!"_

The cooks fell around laughing as the song finished, and Celestia wrapped Luna in a hug. "Thank you so much Lulu!" She squealed as Luna patted her on the back. "I don't know what I was thinking. Now if you'll excuse me," she broke off the hug and looked in the direction of the, now well laden, table. "I need to make up for lost time."

Luna rolled her eyes as Celly went off in search of cake. Then she shrugged and decided to join her.

Those cakes did look delicious after all.

* * *

**46.2 Five a Day**

"Y'know, this is not how I expected my day to go," Chris said as he fired off a Greater Aegis with one hand and a series of Force Pulses with the other.

Twilight shrugged, letting loose a shower of Energy Bullets. "Honestly, after everything I've been through, this doesn't faze me all that much."

"Oh come on," Chris said, using both hands to launch a Pyroclasm. "We're being attacked by hyper-violent, semi-sentient fruit and veg." A particularly angry looking carrot ran at him on its little root legs, and a quick Force Pulse reduced in to orange mush. "You have to admit this is one of the weirder things we've done."

"It is in the top ten," Twilight admitted, teleporting out of the way of a charging squash and blasting it from behind.

A larger than normal pumpkin rolled out from between the trees of Sweet Apple Acres, heading straight for Chris, only to disappear in a puff of green smoke. When it cleared the pumpkin was appropriately inanimate. Chris gave a salute to Zecora as she galloped past, her sling already loaded up with another powder pellet and spinning with an ominous droning sound.

"So what do you think went wrong with the spell?" Chris asked, the waves of produce abating for the moment.

Twilight shrugged. "We probably didn't take into account your massive power reserves. By all rights that spell should only have made some of the fruit grow bigger and faster, not…" Twilight gestured to the farm, very nearly overrun by plants, "this."

"Sounds reasonable enough," Chris said. Looking over his shoulder he yelled back to the Apple homestead behind him. "You guys okay in there?"

Applebloom and Granny Smith, both wearing pots as helmets, appeared in the window and waved. Chris and Twilight had been designated as the last line of defence, while Applejack and Big Mac were in the orchard, hunting down any fruit that seemed even slightly disgruntled. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash, who had been passing at the time, was patrolling the skies and helping to direct the Apple siblings. Chris wasn't entirely sure when Zecora had shown up, but he wasn't going to complain about additional help.

Applejack, Big Mac and Zecora trotted out of the orchard. They were all covered in scratches, but otherwise looked unhurt. Rainbow Dash alighted next to them as Applejack said, "Ah think that was the last of 'em."

"Eeyup," said Big Mac.

"Cool. Er… sorry about all this by the way. I'm not sure what went wrong."

"It's alright sugarcube," Applejack said, waving a hoof. "'S long as it was an accident, Ah'm happy to never mention it again. Like, ever."

Chris gave Twilight a smug smile. "See? She thinks it was weird."

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Ah wouldn't say it's the weirdest thing Ah've ever seen," Applejack said. "But it's definitely in the top ten."

"Oh come on," said Chris. "What could possibly be weirder than this and does anyone else hear that rumbling sound?"

Everyone turned to face the orchard as the rumbling grew louder. A small mountain of apples was rising above the treetops, twisted roots forming a beard of tentacles and branches cracking into the shape of skeletal wings.

"And now we have Apple-thulu," Chris said. He sighed. "I was not ready for today."

"Still not the weirdest thing I've ever seen," Twilight said.

Apple-thulu, apparently feeling left out, let out a thunderous roar and reared its head back.

"Everyone get behind us!" Chris shouted as he and Twilight focused their magic, conjuring a mottled blue and pink shield. Everypony dived behind it as Apple-thulu's head jerked forward and a stream of high velocity apple seeds shot out, rattling against the shield.

"Got a plan Twilight?" Chris asked though gritted teeth, trying to keep the combined shield stable.

"Feel like trying a meteor strike?" Twilight asked.

"Seems like a better time than any to try it out," Chris replied. "When I give the signal," he said to the others, "everyone scatter."

"What signal?" Applejack asked.

"You won't miss it," Chris said, his other hand lighting up and a ball of energy growing in his palm. With a grunt he tossed it into the air above the shield. As soon as the ball cleared the shield it changed direction, speeding straight into Apple-thulu's face and exploding. The stream of apple seeds cut off as Apple-thulu roared and stumbled backwards. The shield dropped, everypony ran for it and Chris took off. Flying in close to Apple-thulu's head, he fired a couple of Energy Bolts before dodging the arm that swung at him. Apple-thulu roared his displeasure as Chris zipped around his head, firing off pot-shots and dodging or blocking any return attacks.

Meanwhile, Twilight was busy focusing her magic. As soon as Chris had taken off she'd planted hooves and started channelling everything she had left. The ball of magic at the end of her horn was already as big as a pony and was still steadily growing. The other pony's eyes zipped between Chris distracting Apple-thulu, and the ball of pink light that could now have comfortably fit three ponies inside it. Then, when Twilight felt she had no more to give, she shouted out, "Chris! It's ready!"

Chris grinned, flew right in front of Apple-thulu and fired a Dayflash spell at where he assumed its eyes were. Apple-thulu roared as the immense flash of light blinded it. Chris ducked away from the retaliatory swing and flew up, until he was hanging above its head.

"I'm ready," he shouted, magically amplifying his voice. "Send it up."

Twilight wiped the sweat from her brow, took careful aim, and fired. With a thwoom the giant ball of raw magic rocketed upwards. Chris reached out a hand, sensing the approaching magic and weaving his own spells around it. Then the ball hit his outstretched hand and he grunted as the force pushed him back a little. He poured power into his spells and the ball began to shrink, focussing into a palm sized ball of intense light. Gritting his teeth with the effort of keeping so much magic in place, Chris looked below him, took careful aim, and threw.

The ball flashed through the air, imbedding itself in Apple-thulu. A moment later a blue dome slammed down around it, then the ball detonated. Blinding light filled the dome, which shook fiercely. Chris grunted at the effort of keeping the explosion contained, but the shield held. A moment later the light faded, leaving only smoke. Everything within the shield had been utterly vaporised, leaving only a shallow crater behind.

Everypony slowly came out from their hiding spots as the shield disappeared, staring open mouthed at Twilight and Chris. Twilight, breathing heavily, gave a groan and flopped to the ground. Chris landed, breathing just as heavily, and flopped beside her.

"Yay," he said, gently pumping a fist in the air. "Teamwork."

"What was THAT?" Rainbow asked, waving her hoof at the new, still smoking crater. "I didn't even know you guys could do that."

Chris and Twilight shrugged at the same time. "To be fair," Twilight panted, "we weren't so sure that would work either."

"We've discussed it and planned it out before," Chris continued. "But that was the first time we tried it for realsies."

"Yeah, ok, that's nice. But…" Rainbow waved a hoof towards the crater again. "HOW!?"

"Well the basic idea is, seeing as we're so similar in magical power level, we can split casting one single, powerful spell between the two of us," Twilight sighed and pushed herself into sitting position. "I provided the raw power and Chris provided the focus. Because we don't have to cast the whole spell by ourselves we can make it way more powerful than we could alone."

"At this point, I'd say it's a last resort kind of thing," Chris said. "God, that was exhausting." He sighed, paused and then said, "Is anyone else hungry?"

"Starving."

"I only just realised."

"I could go for summin' ta eat."

"Yer darn tooting."

"Eeyup."

"Not really."

Everyone looked at Applebloom.

"What?" she asked indignantly. "I had some snacks just before."

"Well then," Applejack said. "I suppose you won't want to come to Sugarcube Corner with us."

Applebloom hesitated. "I guess I am a little hungry."

"I reckon Pinkie's going to want to throw us a party. Something along the lines of 'congratulations on defeating the dark god of the apple nether realm'."

The conversation on how you would decorate for a party like that carried them all the way to Sugarcube Corner.

* * *

**46.3 For Science.**

Lightning crackled through the sky above the Everfree Forest. The world quaked at the energies waiting to be unleashed. And Chris was grinning perhaps a little too wide at it all.

"This is so amazingly irresponsible, and I don't care," he said, staring up at the monstrous machine he'd built. A colossal vat full of swirling clouds sat below the web of pipes and metal. Another pair of vats, filled to the brim with cotton candy and chocolate milk, were piped up to the huge mixing apparatus. A massive magic catcher topped it all off, drinking in the chaotic magic of the Everfree and storing it to be sent to the energiser.

"I hereby dub thee, the Cotton Candy Cloud Contraption!"

"Yay, alliteration!" Pinkie Pie cheered beside him. "Also, CHOCOLATE RAIN!"

"That is all well and good, but I fear that I do not know why I am here," Zecora said, the only one in the room who seemed even the least bit cautious of the metal behemoth before them.

"Well, we're working in the middle of the Everfree," Chris explained. "I figured it would be a good idea to have you around to ward off any lingering nasties. Also this is… sort of alchemy."

Zecora raised an eyebrow.

"Well you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Zecora thought for a moment and realised two things. One, that Pinkie was a terrible influence on Chris. And two, that she was genuinely curious as to what would happen.

"Very well, switch it on. Let's see what goes wrong."

"Now you're talking. Pinkie?" The mare grinned and zipped over to the open knife switch. "If you would please pull the - wait. Wait-wait-wait. If we're going to do this we're going to do this right." He coughed to clear his throat, then cackled maniacally. "AH-HAHAHAHAHAAAA! PULL DA SVITCH PINK-IGOR!"

"Yeth mathter," Pinkie droned with a wide grin and a credible hunch, before yanking the switch closed. Lightning flared and great discharges of unholy energies worked their way through the machine. Gears churned as the components were mixed with the chaos magic. And Chris roared with wild laughter as his baby came alive. ALIVE! IT WAS ALI-.

Something went pop, then fizzle, and the entire thing stuttered to a halt. There was a moment of silence.

"Ah… hm… I can fix this."

* * *

Twenty minutes and a new set of reinforced fuses later, they were ready to try again.

"Okay, maniacal laughter and terrible German accent taken as read," Chris said. "Take two. Pinkie?"

The switch was once again thrown and the machine roared to life. The clouds, cotton candy and chocolate milk were sucked into the centre of the machine and churned together. A blast of chaos magic entered the mix and the normally incompatible substances started to merge into one. There was a loud groan as the reinforcement struggled to contain the wilful chaos energies. Then there was a loud FWOOMP and it spat out a moderately sized, cotton candy cloud.

Pinkie and Chris raised their forehooves/hands into the air and shouted, "SUCCESS!" Then Pinkie realised that there was a chocolate filled, cotton candy cloud in front of her, mentally volunteered to taste test it, and pounced.

"All in all, I think that went pretty well," Chris said to Zecora.

"It could have been much worse, with you drawing upon the Everfree curse."

Chris shrugged and was about to say something when there was a burst of light and voice filled with anger roared from above them.

"CHRISTOPHER ARCHIMEDES EDEN!" Twilight Sparkle, currently wrath incarnate, shouted. "WHAT ON EQUESTRIA ARE YOU DOING?"

Chris, who had gone slightly red at the mention of his middle name, gestured to the machine. "Science!" he shouted back.

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "And what exactly justifies harnessing unstable magical energy, making a noise loud enough to startle everypony in Ponyville, and shooting giant bolts of lighting into the sky?!" Chris was relieved to note that she'd gone from Royal Canterlot Voice to shouting like a normal person.

"Science is it's own justification."

Twilight drank that in, then sighed and put a hoof to her face. "Pinkie bribed you, didn't she?"

"She had Double Trouble Triple Choc Chip Fudge-aroonie cookies Twilight," Chris whined. "How could I say no?"

Twilight sighed again. "I'm going to start lecturing you two now. I'm going to continue to do so while you deconstruct that monstrosity and I'm not sure when I'm going to stop."

"Alright, but before you do I feel I should point out that you Pinkie Promised me that you'd never tell anyone my middle name." Twilight began to look nervous. "And I'm pretty sure you just told two ponies at once. So…"

Pinkie's face had gone bright red, and she was staring at Twilight with a mix of horror and rage.

"YOU BROKE A PINKIE PROMISE!" She screamed.

To be fair to Twilight, she only hesitated for a second before fleeing as fast as she could. Pinkie zoomed after her. Chris switched off the Contraption, which stuttered to a halt.

"Was it truly necessary to dob Twilight in to Pinkie?," Zecora asked with concern.

"She'll be fine," Chris said.

"I'm still wondering why you didn't just ask me to help," Discord said, walking towards them upside down.

Chris shrugged. "That would have involved asking you to be predictable at being chaotic. You'd probably just make a fish or something."

Discord gave Chris a thoughtful frown, then took it back, put it back on his face and snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light and a large fish was floating in midair. "Huh," Discord said.

"I didn't actually expect that to happen. It raining gummy bears is a nice touch though."

Discord looked mollified. "I try."

* * *

Princess Celestia had just finished with day court when a glowing blue outline of a folded envelope appeared in front of her. Grinning slightly, she tapped it with a hoof. With a poof it transmuted into a physical letter, which she opened and read eagerly.

_Dear Princess Sunbutt_

_Today I learnt that your student is a massive killjoy._

_Also that you should use reinforced fuses and inverted containment matrices when dealing with large amounts of chaos magic._

_Could be useful._

_Your faithful friend and part time mad scientist._

_Chris._

_Pshismiddlenameisarchimedeslovediscord._

Celestia held back a giggle, barely. Then a wisp of smoke flew in the window and reformed into a scroll.

_Dear Princess Celestia, _it read.

_Pinkie has figured out how to bribe Chris. I think we're all doomed._

_Your faithful and slightly unnerved student,_

_Twilight Sparkle._

Celestia did not snort. She gave a regal titter. And anypony who said differently would be sent to the moon.

* * *

**46.1 And Celestia never dieted again. Until that one time she go stuck in her throne.**

**46.2 I believe this one started with the phrase 'Apple-thulu'.**

**46.3 Chris is perhaps a tad easily bribed.**

**I'm back people! I am so sorry about how long it's been. I procrastinated a lot over the summer and didn't write nearly as much as I wanted to. Still, I'll be doing my best to write whenever I'm able. I'm not going to lay down any solid timeframes for the next chapter though, because I have no idea how long it's going to take.**

**On an entirely different note I now have a DeviantArt account. I'll be using it to post any non-fanfiction writing I do in the future. Likely won't be anything put up there too soon, but I do have stuff in the works.**

**That's it from me for now. See you all in the next chapter!**


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